Deep Emotions
by jesse15
Summary: Tony and Michelle after season 2
1. Default Chapter

This probably rated "pg-13" Some bad language – nothing to full-on though. ENJOY!!  
  
Only a week had passed since CTU had been bombed but to everyone in the office it felt a lot longer than that. Everyone had been putting in hours of over time each day without even being asked, just to help get the office back on track. Michelle hadn't had a day off now in over 14 days. The day CTU was bombed was suppose to be her last before 3 days off, but she wouldn't dream of not showing up to work this last week. She was so exhausted she could barely even think straight, but she figured she was better off that way anyway – she wasn't interested in having to deal with last weeks events yet. Maybe that was why she was so happy to spend all her time at work at the moment, it saved going home to her empty apartment to be alone with her thoughts.  
  
She looked up to Tony's office, it looked like he was on a pretty important call, he was rubbing the side of his face which he always did when he was stressed or nervous. As much as she wanted to be distracted from her thoughts by work at the moment, Tony was a very good reason for her to be avoiding work. Nothing had happened since that day. I mean it had completely gone back to the way things were before. The sexual tension between them was unbelievable. Every time they talked their bodies were just inches from each other, lingered looks continued after every conversation no matter how dull the topic, they constantly caught each other out for staring at each other, and he still made excuses to ask her to help him with things she knew he could easily take care of himself. Michelle didn't know if Tony hadn't made a move because of everything else that had been going on, which would be a fair enough excuse or if it was because he simply didn't want to. If he didn't want anything then she would be pretty hurt by him, the last thing she expected from Tony was to be led on. The truth be told though, she really didn't know what she could expect with Tony, in some ways she felt so close to him but on the other hand she just couldn't tell what was going through his mind at the moment. She did know that they were probably the most important person in each others lives. With the hours they worked and spent together they had really formed a special bond. She trusted Tony with her life and there wasn't many people she could say that about. The more she thought about it all, the more she almost felt herself feeling angry with Tony, how could he just not say anything to her about last week. Why would he tell her he wasn't sorry that they kissed but then carry on as if it hadn't happened? Didn't he care how much this was affecting her??  
  
Tony was so over this conversation, just when he didn't think Hammond couldn't be anymore of an insensitive jerk he managed to sink even lower. He wanted CTU to complete a F9 task form and he wanted it by the end of the week. The problem was, the only people left in the office capable of that task was himself and Michelle. It was usually his job but now that he had taken over for Mason as director of CTU he didn't have time to do it – nor could he do it half as good as her. Michelle hadn't been offered Tony's old job yet, even though she had completely been doing it plus her own work. It would be totally unfair to expect her to do this now, it was wrong to even be think about asking her. Tony also knew she hadn't had 1 day off in over 2 weeks and if she took on this task it would mean at least another 4 days in a row.  
  
"Brad, it's just not realistic to think this can get done by Friday. Michelle is the only one who can do it and she still hasn't had a day off!"  
  
"Tony, that's not my problem, she can take an extra couple days when she gets it done."  
  
"She deserves a break now Brad, she has been to hell and back and honestly I am worried about her, you have to cut her some slack."  
  
"Everyone is doing it tough at the moment Tony, I can't give any special treatment to Michelle just because you have the hots for her."  
  
"That's got nothing to do with anything. It's not even her damn job Brad, maybe if you would offer her the title of the work she has been doing all week anyway then it would be a little easier to ask!! You are expecting all of this from her and you haven't even offered her the job, never mind a pay rise."  
  
"The job will be Michelle's Tony, you know that, we just don't have the time or resources to deal with these minor details right now. We will sort everything out with Michelle as soon as we have CTU fully functional again – and part of that is getting the F9 to me by Friday. I don't have time to argue with you anymore, it's an order – make sure it is done."  
  
Tony slammed the phone down. 'What a prick' he thought to himself. He glanced down at Michelle and watched her as she explained entries and codes to the new guy Mark. She looked so tired. He felt so angry with Hammond for putting him in this position, it wasn't like he needed to give Michelle another reason to be pissed at him this week. He had been such a bastard to her since that day with the bomb. He had just completely freaked out for so many different reasons – but not one of them justified the way he was acting. He wanted Michelle, more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, he just wanted it to be right. He had this underlying fear that she had only let things happen that day because she was scared, not because she really did like him. He had nearly gotten her in so much trouble that day and he really had put her through hell that if she did still like him and would give him the chance to take her out – then he wanted it to be perfect. A real date, not something lame like grabbing a pizza at 10:30 at night because they had just finished work late again. Most importantly, he didn't want some fling with Michelle, he wanted a committed relationship. He already had such strong feelings for her and he knew if they took things any further he would fall very deeply, very fast for her and he couldn't bear to get hurt like that if she didn't want the same. Michelle was the girl he saw himself really having a future with but it scared the hell out of him that she wouldn't feel the same way. Would she give him the chance to show her how good they could be together? Then, of course there was Nina, surely he had learnt a big enough lesson from that to never have a work relationship again. Michelle wasn't like that though and he knew that deep in his heart. Nina had made it very hard for him to open up to anyone, he was scared if he let Michelle in and exposed himself again – what if she left him? 'Far out, I am one messed up person!' he almost had a laugh at himself. Michelle was done with Mark now so he picked up the phone...  
  
"Dessler"  
  
"Hey Michelle, it's me. How you holding up?"  
  
"Fine thanks Tony, and you?"  
  
"I'm alright. Do you have a minute? Can I see you? Can you come up to my office?"  
  
"Sure, I'll be right up."  
  
Michelle's stomach did a flip. Maybe he was actually ready to talk about them. He sounded friendly and caring on the phone - that had to be a good sign. Maybe they would go see that movie and have dinner after-all. She felt herself get a little excited as she climbed the stairs to his office and a small smile spread across her face.  
  
"Take a seat Michelle. Are you sure you are doing ok?"  
  
"Thanks, yes I am fine Tony. Tired, but so is everyone – besides I have the next 2 days rostered off."  
  
"Umm yeah, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm going to need your help on the F9 report, Hammond wants it by the end of the week."  
  
"By the end of the week? How does he expect it to get done that quick? He knows how big they are!"  
  
"He is pulling rank. The thing is Michelle, my hands are kind of tied right now with taking over from Mason and all....I'm afraid I going to have to depend on you for this one."  
  
"Me? I've never done one before though. It's not my job Tony, I don't even have access to all that information. What about Sarah or Tom? Surely they are more in a position to handle this?"  
  
"Not really Michelle, you are the one that has taken over for me this last week. Plus you are the one I trust to get this done properly. I can give you security clearance 2 for the week."  
  
"But not security clearance 1....because they only want me to take your position till they find someone better.....that about right?"  
  
"I know it seems like you are being shafted right now Michelle, I promise you though everyone totally sees how much extra work you have done around here. Things have only run smoothly because of you. I just need you to do this for me.....please Michelle?"  
  
"Have I ever said no to you Tony?........Are we done here? I had a couple appointments booked for tomorrow that I guess I'd better go and change."  
  
"I'm sorry Michelle, I know you deserve time off. I'd been waiting till we both had some time off so that I could ask you....  
  
Tony stopped and thought to himself, 'She won't say yes – especially not now after you just dumped this on her, don't bother'. He didn't know what to say, so he just stood there silent, not finishing the end of his sentence.  
  
"Ask me what Tony?"  
  
"Nothing, never mind. I'll let you make those calls."  
  
Tony felt sick, that couldn't have gone any worse. He thought about going after her, but to say what? He had dug himself into such a deep hole. Why was it so hard for him to just be honest with her? He cared for her so much, yet from the way he was acting she must think he regretted last week and didn't care for her at all.  
  
I hope you like it so far - I'll tey get the next chapter up soon. 


	2. chapter 2

Rated pg-13. Some bad language!!  
  
It took every ounce of strength Michelle had to not burst into tears in front of Tony. She couldn't believe it. How could she be so stupid to think he was actually going to ask her out. All he wanted was to dump all this extra crap on her. Usually she would do whatever task she was given, no questions asked and she would give it 100% but this just seemed so unfair. All week she had been juggling jobs that were not hers along with her own load just to help out but this was different. Tony expected her to completely take care of something that was for a senior position. He knew how much she wanted to climb the ranks at CTU but she wasn't even being offered the job just the work, she guessed until they found someone else they liked better to take Tony's old position.  
  
She was so tired, didn't Tony realise that? Didn't he care for a second that she had barely slept at all in weeks? She always did everything to try and please Tony, and right now she was so sick of it. Why should she care so much when it's obvious he doesn't give a toss about her. She wished he could have just been honest with her and told her he wasn't interested so that she could move on.....was it fun for him to make her feel this way? She had always thought that Tony was the one person that wouldn't hurt her...yet she was beginning to realise just how wrong she was.  
  
Michelle took a couple deep breaths to compose herself and headed back to her station. She drew out a timeline of how she was going to manage the F9 report and get it completed by the end of the week.  
  
Tony headed down to Michelle's station to give her some of the access codes she was going to need. As he approached her desk so did Sarah.  
  
"Hey Michelle, hey Tony – how are you guys pulling up?"  
  
"Fine thanks Sarah." They both chimed at the same time.  
  
"Well I just wanted to check with you, a couple of us were going to go for dinner together and I thought you guys would want to join us?"  
  
Michelle turned her chair so she was facing Sarah and Tony, "Thanks for thinking of me Sarah, but I'm not done here, I've still got a fair bit to get through."  
  
Tony took step forward closer to Michelle, "Michelle, go to dinner. You have to eat and it's already late – all of this can wait till tomorrow. Go on."  
  
"No Tony, I don't have time and it can't wait until tomorrow. You guys go – I'm fine."  
  
Tony turned to Sarah and told her that he couldn't make it either but that he appreciated the invite. Sarah gave them both a smile and took off. Tony sat on the corner of Michelle's desk and rubbed the side of his face.  
  
"Michelle, can we talk?"  
  
"What about Tony? I'm really busy?"  
  
"Well, I know you're angry with me...."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
"Yes you are Michelle, I can tell by the way your acting. Look its ok, you have every right to be pissed at me.....for lots of reasons. I'm going to make this up to you – you know that right?"  
  
"Know what Tony? What exactly are you going to make up to me? There is nothing to make up – I'll get the report done for you ok, it's what needs to be done and I'll do it."  
  
"This isn't all about the work Michelle. It's about 'us'."  
  
"There is no 'us' Tony, you have made that very clear. There is nothing to talk about."  
  
"Are you saying you don't want there to be an 'us'? What about last week?"  
  
"You don't care what I want Tony, you don't even know what I want. I'm surprised to hear you bring up last week....I thought you had forgotten all about it."  
  
"Forgotten about it? How the hell could I forget about something like that? You know Michelle, maybe the kiss meant nothing to you, but it meant something to me. How am I suppose to know what you want if you don't tell me? I told you afterwards I wasn't sorry it had happened."  
  
"Don't tell you....what else am I suppose to do Tony? I was the one that kissed you! I took your hand and held it when were put in holding room 7 on treason charges. If you weren't sorry you would have at least mentioned it to me this last week."  
  
"You only kissed me because you had no one else. After everything that had gone down you just needed somebody, I did too."  
  
"So that's all it was to you? It wouldn't have mattered who I was Tony you would have taken anyone? How dare you say I only kissed you because I had no one else – how could you say that? I'm not like that. You know what Tony, I don't want to continue this conversation anymore – it's over."  
  
"No Chelle, it's not over. I'm sorry, everything I say is coming out wrong – I didn't want to upset you. Can we start over please?"  
  
Michelle rose to her feet and straightened out her skirt. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she knew as soon as she opened her mouth they were going to starting flowing. She wiped her eyes and kept her head focused on the floor, "Tony, I don't understand any of this. I....."  
  
Tony saw she was crying. He stood up of the desk and went to put his arm around her but then pulled back. He didn't know what to do, he wanted to comfort her, but it was because of him that she was crying. "Michelle, don't cry, please don't cry....I know I have been a jerk, I am just flustered – this is not how I wanted this to go."  
  
"Tony you don't have to say anything. I know you regret the kiss – why else would you be acting the way you have. I just wish you could be straight with me. You know since I started working here you have become my best friend, we always get through things together – yet this week I just haven't been able to figure you out. You haven't said a word to me. One minute you are flirting with me, the next your dumping all this work on me. What have I done wrong?"  
  
Chappelle interrupted them. He called for their attention from across the room and then began making his way over to her desk. Michelle looked around, everyone else had gone for the day – there were only a couple of people left at the office.  
  
"Michelle, Tony – do you have the figures from yesterdays draw?"  
  
Michelle handed him a file, "Yes sir, they are all here."  
  
"Great, thanks Michelle. Tony are you ready to go? The meeting should have started 5 minutes ago – we need you in tech 5."  
  
"I'll be there in one minute Ryan." Chappelle tapped his hand on the desk to wrap up the conversation, gave Michelle a smile and turned and left. He had been in such a good mood since CTU had pulled through for everyone last week.  
  
"Michelle, I've gotta go. You understand I have to right? I don't want to leave you when you're upset."  
  
"Just go Tony....we are done here anyway."  
  
Tony sunk his head and headed to the meeting. He was so angry with himself. Everything he had said had just completely come out all wrong. Even he didn't understand what he was saying so how the hell was she suppose to? All he had managed to do was insult her, make her cry, make her think that he had only kissed her because she was the only one around, and now he had left her when she was so upset. He wanted to cancel the meeting, run back grab her in his arms and tell her how much he was falling in love with her. How the kiss was the best thing that had ever happened to him and that he had thought of nothing else but her all week. But he couldn't do that, he still didn't even know how she felt about him – how could he possibly open up to her if he didn't know for sure she felt the same way? After tonight she must hate him. So instead he went to the meeting and didn't hear one word that was said.  
  
Michelle threw herself into the work. She tried to tell herself that she was ok, but she wasn't. She felt sick. She had never had a fight like that with Tony before, ever. She just didn't understand what it was all about. He hadn't really made much sense – maybe she hadn't either. Did he really just kiss her because she was the only one around? The thought just made her stomach turn inside and out. She didn't know what was worse – the fact that he had used her or imagining if say Sarah or Carrie had been the one he had kissed. The thought of him kissing someone else bought tears to her eyes. It hurt like hell to be falling in love with someone that didn't return the feelings. She felt so stupid for reading into the kiss so much, it had just felt so passionate – like he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Yet now she knew....he didn't want her at all. She kept trying to work but it seemed she was spending most the time just trying to push all these thoughts out of her mind.  
  
Three hours had passed before the meeting came to a close. Everyone else went straight home. Tony walked back out to the station area to see Michelle still there working. He looked around, there wasn't another soul there, the lights were dim and she was just sitting there by herself plugging away. He was racked with guilt. It was after 11pm – he knew she wouldn't have even had dinner yet. He went down to the cafeteria and got some sandwiches and drinks for the both of them and then headed back up to Michelle.  
  
"Michelle, I can't believe you are still here. You really should be at home in bed."  
  
"I drew up a timeline I want to stick to for each day to make sure I get it done."  
  
"Well can I help you?"  
  
"No thanks Tony, you asked me to take care of it and that's exactly what I am going to do. I'm fine."  
  
Tony sat on her desk facing her, "I umm, bought us some sandwiches – I figured you wouldn't have stopped yet. Will you at least take a break and eat with me?"  
  
"Ok.....thanks for getting food, I am pretty hungry."  
  
"Great, now lets go the rest room to eat, I want you to get as far away from that computer as possible for a few minutes!"  
  
Michelle stood up and began to walk towards the rest room. Tony walked next to her. Neither one of them said anything and the silence felt awkward. Tony knew this was his 2nd chance to sort things out. He couldn't afford to stuff up this time. He reached out to touch the small of her back as she walked through the doorway. It was such a small gesture but it made him so nervous. His hands were sweaty and it felt like it took forever for his arm to actually leave his side and make it to her back. His hand touched her back and she turned her head to look at him. He couldn't read her face at all. He gave her a small smile, she bit her lower lip and looked away again. At least she didn't punch him he thought to himself.  
  
They sat opposite each other on the couches. Tony put the sandwiches and drinks on the coffee table between them, "Help yourself, they are all your favourites. Do want coke or do you want me to make you a tea or coffee or something warm?"  
  
"Coke is fine, thanks Tony. So how come your meeting went so long?"  
  
"Nothing major, just working through the list division has given us of how they want to reconstruct CTU. They are taking the bomb as a good opportunity to make all the changes they have wanted to for so long. I am so sorry I made you cry...." Tony blurted out.  
  
"That's ok, you know me....I'm not too good at holding my tears back. I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."  
  
"No. no Michelle that's not it at all. I was so horrible to you. I felt sick knowing I had made you cry, and even worse that I had to leave you like that."  
  
They both reached in for another sandwich at the same time, their hands brushed against each other. It was like everything went into slow motion. They looked into each other's eyes and then back down at their hands. Tony lifted his thumb and put it over Michelle's thumb. He gently stroked it a couple of times. He looked at Michelle who was biting her lip again and staring at their hands. Tony's cell phone rang startling both of them. They both pulled their hands away and he stood up to take the call. It was Hammond from division, "Chappelle said your meeting just finished, are you still at the office Tony?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"I won't keep you, I just need you to check something on one of the computers for me."  
  
Tony covered the mouth piece and told Michelle it was Hammond and that he just needed to do something quickly for him, he would be back in a couple of minutes. She smiled to let him know that was fine.  
  
When Tony was done with Hammond he raced back into the rest room. It had been more like 10 minutes then 2. As he walked in he saw that Michelle had fallen asleep. She had just fallen to her side, she looked so uncomfortable – she still even had a sandwich in her hand. Tony wondered what to do for a minute. He couldn't let her sleep like that, she would wake up so sore. He didn't want to wake her and have her drive home when she was this tired. He also didn't want her to sleep here on her own. He decided he would move her to the stretch bed in the corner of the room and he would spend the night on the couch. He walked over to her and took the sandwich out of her hand and placed it back on the table. He picked her up in his arms and held her close to his body. She smelt so good. He carried her to the bed and laid her down. He grabbed a blanket from the closet and covered her up. He stood over her watching her sleep. She was so beautiful. He brushed her hair out of her eyes with his fingers.  
  
He grabbed another blanket and headed for the couch. He curled up and tried to fall asleep. He was so tired, but he couldn't stop thinking about everything. Things had gone ok with Michelle just then. They had only had a couple minutes together, but when he stroked her hand she hadn't pulled away. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.  
  
I hope you liked this chapter. Please just let me know if you would like to continue with this story. Thanks!! 


	3. chapter 3

At about 2am Tony's cell phone startled them both awake. He had left it on the side bench out of reach. Both Tony and Michelle jumped up darting their eyes frantically trying to see whose phone it was and where it was. Michelle felt completely dis-orientated; it took her forever to even work out where she was. Tony was the first to find the phone and Michelle stood within arms length of him watching and listening intently to see what was going on. As Tony picked up the phone he gave Michelle a look as if to say 'who could this be?'. Michelle swayed a little with tiredness and Tony instinctively put his hand out and placed it on her arm to steady her. He was gentle and kept his hand on her forearm waiting for their eyes to lock.  
  
Michelle looked at Tony's hand and then into his eyes. Through the tiredness and alarm of being woken so suddenly she could still see how warmly he looked at her. That was the look she yearned for from Tony, his eyes seemed to say so much. She felt so confused after all the things he had said that upset her so much, yet his actions since then were filled with so much love and care. She watched him answer the phone and place it to his ear.  
  
It was Tony's older brother Jeff. Tony and Jeff were about 12 years apart in age and very close with each other. Their parents lived in New York and although they were close they didn't get to see each other much. Jeff was the single parent of a 15-year-old daughter, Emily. Emily's mom had left Jeff when Emily was only 8 months old and they had not heard from her since. Tony spent a lot of time helping Jeff with Emily. Emily was going through a rebellious stage and Jeff was increasingly having a more difficult time with her. Tony had tried to spend as much time with her as possible but both Tony and Jeff knew the biggest issue was that Emily had no stable female support and influence in her life.  
  
Michelle watched Tony's face as he talked on the phone. He started by telling Jeff to calm down and then he just listened for a awhile before saying that he would be there in a few minutes. He hung up the phone and turned to Michelle.  
  
"That was my brother Jeff. Emily has snuck out of the house to go to a college party down town and he is not sure how to handle it. He knows he will only make things worse between them if he goes into the party himself and makes her leave. I said I'd go and help him out as much as I can."  
  
Tony felt torn and worried. He was worried about Emily, but he also didn't want to just up and leave Michelle. Michelle broke his train of thought...  
  
"Why is he worried he will make things worse?"  
  
"Because we know why she keeps taking off like this. She hasn't had a mother figure in her life and the best we can guess is that she is going through lots of things that she feels like she can't talk to her Dad about. If Jeff or I went in and made her leave it would make her angry and probably close off even more to us as well."  
  
"Is there anything I can do Tony?"  
  
"No, it's ok thanks Michelle. I am so sorry to have you woken up – I don't want you to have to worry about all this. I'm sorry, I wanted you to have a good sleep tonight." "Tony it's fine, besides I am awake now. Maybe I could even go in a bring her out of the party – sounds like it wouldn't upset her as much as having one of you guys go in. You know I am always happy to try and help you out."  
  
Tony thought that was a very good idea but he felt guilty. "That's the thing Michelle, you are always doing everything to help me, when will you let me look after you? You are so tired and have been through so much, the last thing you need is to be traipsing all over town for my family. It's already my fault that you are so tired Chelle, I've pushed you too much this week – how could I expect you to help me now?"  
  
Michelle took a seat on the couch and began putting on her shoes. "Look Tony I don't need you to look after me, I know what I can and can't handle. But this isn't about you or me it's about your niece and brother and making sure they are ok. If I can help then I want to – it's more important than a couple hours sleep." Michelle new she sounded harsh but she just didn't know how else to get her point across. She wanted Tony to care and look after her but only if he wanted to. If he had only kissed her last week because there was no one else around and he figured she had done the same thing then that wasn't the type of 'care' she wanted from Tony. She wished he wanted to look after her because he wanted to be with her but not for any other reason, like feeling guilty about work. Her feelings for Tony were so deep and real and she was getting so sick of feeling this way – it was like Tony had her heart in his hands and he was just playing with it. It really hurt that one-minute he seemed to care for her and then the next her didn't. She broke eye contact with him when she finished talking and put her head down.  
  
Tony mumbled – still undecided if he wanted her to hear what he said or not, "you do need someone to look after you and it should be me."  
  
Michelle only heard mumble, "Sorry Tony I didn't hear you."  
  
Tony walked over to Michelle and sat next to her on the couch. "I said.....thank you it would mean a lot if you came with me." He flashed Michelle a quick smile. He was glad she was coming with him, he didn't want to leave her at CTU in the middle of the night. Although on different occasions he and Michelle had chatted about family before, and she knew all about Jeff and Emily she had never actually met them. Jeff knew all about Tony's feelings for Michelle and Tony was secretly glad Jeff would finally meet her, he knew Jeff would love Michelle. Michelle was the only person in the world that Tony would take with him in a situation like this. Opening up his family and allowing someone else in took a lot of trust and Michelle was the only girl he felt comfortable doing this with. He had never even contemplated taking Nina to meet his family. Tony hoped he would be able to use some of this time with Michelle to repair some of the damage he had caused. He knew he had hurt her, and he had so much explaining to do, any other person would have told him where to go by now, but not Michelle, she was too loyal and caring. He wanted her to know he appreciated that about her and would never take it for granted.  
  
Once Michelle's shoes were tied Tony stood up and extended his hand to help Michelle up. She hesitated for a second but then put her hand in his and pulled herself up so she was standing. She followed Tony out of the room and down to his car in the garage. It was cold outside and so Tony took his jacket off and handed it over to Michelle. She looked at the jacket – she was cold but she just didn't want to depend or take any kind of caring gesture from Tony anymore. It was these little things about him that made he heart skip a beat but she didn't want to hurt anymore. The rejection of not being good enough for Tony to want to be with stung and she could feel herself trying to close up and protect herself. She pushed the jacket back towards Tony, "I'm fine, you will be cold without it."  
  
"Chelle..." Tony spoke firmly and loudly. He opened the jacket up, walked behind Michelle and started placing it over her shoulders. "I want you in this, its cold - no arguments." He stepped in front of her and pulled the jacket out to the side whilst she slipped her arms through and then he stood in front of her and did the zipper up for her. Once again they caught each other's stare and held it. There was so much that needed to be said between them – all of those words could just be melted away with a kiss but neither of them understood that. Tony knew how much he loved Michelle but couldn't understand how she could possibly want him and he knew he had really hurt her by the way he had acted over the last week and especially yesterday. After what he had said about just kissing her because she was the one there - he felt like the worlds biggest sleaze and wondered if she would ever believe that that wasn't what he meant at all. Michelle simply thought Tony didn't care for her like that, that he had just kissed her because she was the one around but he probably wished it had been Sarah or Carrie or someone else instead. She questioned whether Tony was trying to punish her for the kiss because he regretted it by playing with her feelings. Either way her confidence had taken a real beating this week and she did not feel like she was good enough to be Tony's girlfriend. As they climbed into the car their heads swarmed with thoughts of each other.  
  
"Michelle thanks for coming, it feels nice to have you here with me." Tony glanced over at Michelle and gave her a smile before putting his eyes back on the road.  
  
"Thanks Tony, I don't want to be in your way. I'm sorry I fell asleep at work. Did I walk to the bed?"  
  
Tony put his hand out and very gently traced his thumb on the back of her hand. "Chelle, you are never in my way. I know why you are feeling like that, I wish I could take back the last week and show you how I really feel. God I have been a bastard to you. All I ever want is more time with you. I carried you to the bed, I didn't want to wake you and I couldn't just leave you there...."  
  
"You carried me?" Michelle couldn't believe it. "You stayed here at CTU because of me?"  
  
Tony pressed a little more firmly as he traced her hand. "Is that ok? Do you mind that I carried you?"  
  
"No.....it was just such a sweet thing to do. I wouldn't expect anyone to do something like that for me. I feel so annoying, you should have been able to go home to your own bed without having to worry about me." Michelle spoke softly and lowered her head and watched Tony's hand as it traced hers.  
  
"Michelle, it was the least I could do, especially after everything I have put you through this week. I am so sorry for everything. I am so sorry for things I said yesterday – I didn't mean most of it. The Kiss Chelle..."  
  
Michelle cut him off, "Don't say it Tony. I can't bear to hear it again. I know how you feel and I just...."  
  
Now Tony didn't let her finish. They pulled into the driveway of Jeff's house as Tony cut her off. As he spoke he cut the engine and turned to face Michelle. "We have to talk this through Chelle. You don't know how I feel – tell me what you think I am feeling."  
  
"I know you are feeling regretful for the kiss we had. That for you it was just about the moment and it didn't matter who I was. I am sure you probably wish it were Sarah or Carrie or someone. I don't know maybe I have just disappointed you, or you are angry with me."  
  
Tony felt sick. He knew he had treated Michelle badly but he felt just so horrible hearing her say all of this. He knew he just had to open up to her – it was the least she deserved, no matter how hard it was for him. "Chelle, you could never disappoint me, I am disappointed with myself. I wanted that kiss....more than you will ever imagine. I have just been trying to protect myself because it's hard to believe YOU could actually like me. I could never have kissed anyone else Chelle, you are the only one I want. You have to understand that...." He took her hand in his. He griped it tightly and tried to get eye contact with her. She had been looking out the window, but now she turned o face him.  
  
"If you wanted me, why haven't you come to me? I am so confused. Don't you understand how much I have needed you this week Tony – even just as a friend if that's all you wanted."? A couple tears ran down Michelle's face and she pulled her hand out of Tony's grip to wipe them. She wished that just once she could get through one of these conversations with Tony without crying.  
  
"Don't you think I needed you too Chelle? God, I needed you so much – I still do. I was just so scared I was going to get hurt....."  
  
"By me?" Michelle butted in.  
  
"Yes, what if you decided you didn't really want me? Or that the kiss meant nothing to you? Or you didn't care for me the way I care for you? I don't know what you wanted from me..."  
  
"Tony, firstly – I am not Nina or any other girlfriend that's treated you bad. I am not going to hurt you or treat you badly. Even before the kiss you use to be so comforting to me. You always showed affection. This week it's been nothing like that. I kissed you because I wanted and needed you, I had no other motive. I just like you Tony for you because of who you are. All I wanted from you was a hug. You arms around me. Just for you to want to be close to me." There, she had said it. She had told him how she cared for him and that all she wanted was his arms around her. Even though they had never had anything more than a quick 'friends' hug, she knew that to be wrapped up in Tony's arms would probably be the best feeling in the whole world.  
  
Tony felt speechless. Michelle was even more beautiful and amazing than he had imagined. She cared for him for who he was. She had admitted to him that she had wanted and needed him. She wanted to feel his arms around her. That was all more than he could have ever hoped for. God was he going to wrap her in his arms so tightly and never let go. He was going to be everything she wanted and needed. A shiver ran down Tony's back just as he even thought about holding Michelle in his arms like that, he had all the courage in the world right now to tell and show Michelle just how much she meant to him. He was never ever going to be responsible for making her cry again, he wanted to see her smile. He just couldn't believe how lucky he was that Michelle really did like him, and for him - no other reason. He looked at Michelle who was again looking away. He could see the tears rolling down her cheek and she was trying to wipe them and compose herself. He didn't know how to start – should he take her in his arms now or say sorry or explain how he felt? She was so hurt by him and he knew how much rested on him fixing things between them. All he wanted was to tell her how much he was falling in love with her – he wanted her to know it and believe him, but where did he start?  
  
Just as Tony raised his hand to put it on Michelle, his brother startled him by knocking on his side window. For a second Tony had forgotten where they were. It could not have been worse timing. He opened the door and Jeff started talking immediately, barely taking time for a breath. He looked at Michelle who was trying to pull her self-together....then she opened the door and stepped out. Tony got out as well to start the introductions.  
  
"Jeff this is Michelle......Michelle this is my brother Jeff. Michelle is going to help us Jeff. We even thought maybe Chelle could go into the party and talk to Emily – she is less likely to get upset that way rather than her Dad or Uncle coming in to collect her."  
  
Jeff stepped in and shook Michelle's hand. He smiled in a way that Tony knew he approved of her immediately. He felt so proud to be introducing Michelle to his brother, in a childish way it was like he wanted to show her off – have Jeff see the beautiful amazing woman who liked him. Jeff was the first to speak...  
  
"Nice to meet you Michelle. Thank you so much for coming out, especially at this hour of the morning. Are you sure you wouldn't mind going in and talking to Emily?"  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you Jeff. I am totally happy to talk to Emily if you think that will help. Just let me know what you need me to do."  
  
"I think it will just be so good for her to maybe have another woman to talk too. She gets so frustrated having to deal with just her Dad all the time. Come with me guys, I know where this party is and so I will drive."  
  
Tony and Michelle started to follow Jeff to his car on the other side of the driveway. Tony pulled Michelle back a little so they were walking behind. As they stopped at the car to get in, he opened her door but then leant in towards her and spoke softly in to her ear before she climbed into the car. "I want to finish our conversation as soon as we are done with all this. I just want you to know now that there is nothing I want more than to hold you so close in my arms. I need you to be in my arms Chelle."  
  
He pulled his head back and looked into her eyes. She looked surprised at what he had just said and crunched her eyebrows as if asking him if he really meant what he said. So he spoke very softly, almost just mouthing it, "I want you Chelle." He ached for them to be sharing this moment alone, so he had the chance to make things right between them. He looked over at Jeff who was sitting in the drivers seat ready to go. Tony knew he had to help him get Emily back now so his brother could stop stressing and worrying, but as soon as they had done that his only priority in the world would be to make things right so he had Michelle in his arms. 


	4. chapter 4

As they drove down town to the party Jeff and Tony filled Michelle in on all the things that had been happening with Emily lately. The plan was that Michelle would go in and find Emily and either bring her straight out or try and chat to her, depending on how receptive she was. Jeff thanked Michelle over and over for helping him out. They pulled just up the street from the party.  
  
Michelle took Tony's jacket off. Tony started to stop her, "No, Michelle keep it on, it's freezing outside."  
  
"I have to Tony, if I go in with a CTU jacket on then I'll freak all the kids out. I'll blend in a lot better if I just have my top and skirt on. I'll be ok, no worries. I'd better get in there though. I'll be out soon – you guys are just waiting here right?"  
  
"Yup, we won't move. Thanks Chelle." As Michelle climbed out of the car Tony tried to brush his hand over hers as a simple but caring gesture. They both watched Michelle walk down the street and enter the house. Tony looked at his watch, it was now nearly 3am.  
  
Jeff didn't waste any time, "Sorry to call and interrupt you guys Tony, and if I had known you were together I would never have called. What's happening? Are you together?"  
  
"Jeff I always want you to call me, no matter what. We were actually at work – sleeping. It's been such a huge week and we were both back working late and then Chelle fell asleep. I didn't want to leave her there by herself and so I just slept on the couch. She told me she cared for me before though Jeff. She said that she wanted my arms around her. I've been such a prick to her this week – I have got lots of explaining to do. At this point she has no idea how strong my feelings are for her."  
  
Tony and Jeff had a deep conversation while they waited for Michelle and Emily. Jeff spent most of the time drilling Tony about opening himself up to Michelle and not letting what happened with Nina destroy the best thing that might ever happen to him.  
  
Michelle had no trouble finding Emily. She had simply gone inside and asked a few people where she was and the 3rd person took her straight to her. She was actually in the bathroom and had been for sometime now. There was a small line starting together outside of people needing the toilet. Michelle knocked on the door, "Emily, my name is Michelle Dessler, I work with Tony. Do you think I could come in?"  
  
Emily not wanting to have any kind of scene in front of all of the older people at the party opened the door and let Michelle come straight in. Emily was very confused as to why this strange woman had shown up at the party, "Did Tony send you to find me? Do you work at CTU? Why are you here?"  
  
Michelle spoke in a very gentle tone. "I do work at CTU with Tony, we are good friends. Your Dad called Tony because he was worried about you...."  
  
Emily cut in. "He doesn't need to worry about me, I can look after myself."  
  
"Emily he knows you can look after yourself. Even Tony has told me many times before how independent you are, they both just want to see you happy. Your Dad knows you have trouble talking to him and he just wants you to know how much he cares for you. Will you tell me why you have locked yourself in the bathroom? Does it have something to do with a guy?"  
  
With years of training behind her, Michelle had no trouble what so ever reading Emily's face. She could tell the young kid was desperate for some attention and someone to talk to. Michelle put her hand on Emily's shoulder and spoke again, in a very soothing voice. "I know you don't know me Emily, but sometimes that can make it easier to talk. Whatever it is, I bet I have been through the same stuff with a guy before and maybe we can even trade stories. If you don't want me to mention anything you tell me, you have my word it will stay between us."  
  
Emily studied Michelle. There was something very trusting about Michelle and Emily felt good just thinking that this woman wanted to talk to her. "It's just that I was seeing this guy that is a few years older than me and I couldn't tell Dad because he would just flip, instead of listening to me and believing how much I care for him. But this guy kinda keeps trying to push me into things that I don't want to do and I am sick of having to come out like this with all his friends all the time – I don't even like them, I miss my friends. I want to end things but I'm scared about he will react. I want so badly to be able to talk to Dad about all this but I need him to just help me and listen and not get angry at me which I know I will."  
  
"Emily, thanks for opening up to me. These are all things we can work through and I am happy to help you if you want. We can handle each thing a step at a time. Your Dad and Tony are waiting in the car outside – they love and care for you so much Emily. How about we take you home – I promise you that you are not in trouble. And then tomorrow I will come over and pick you up and take you out for a coffee and we can have a good chat about all of these things and work them out."  
  
"You would really do that for me? Why are you being so nice? Do you mean it?"  
  
"Emily, I didn't have a mother around for most of my teenage years and I know how rough it can be. There were lots of things I wished I had another girl to talk to instead of my Dad all the time, no matter how close we were. I understand where you are coming from and I'd love to be there for you if you let me. You seem like a beautiful person and I want to spend some time getting to know you – maybe we could have some girly days together every once and awhile.....I know I'd love that!!"  
  
"Thanks Michelle, that just sounds so good. Thank you so much. I really want to meet with you tomorrow, and I really want to go home now and go to bed."  
  
"Ok great, how about I'll head back to the car, and you can say your goodbye's to everyone, just keep it cool and normal with this guy until we figure out how we are going to handle it. I'll meet you at the car which is just a couple houses up on the left, ok?"  
  
Emily agreed and so she went off to find her boyfriend and Michelle hurried back to the car – she wanted to be able to talk to Jeff and Tony before Emily got to the car. She opened the back door and slid in next to Tony. They both looked so concerned and asked why Emily wasn't with her. Michelle spoke quickly as she knew Emily would be right behind her.  
  
"Guys, she is fine she is on her way, just saying goodbye to people. Jeff it is really important that when she comes you don't get angry with her, she is scared you will be angry and even though I am sure you are....I understand why she has been acting like this and she just needs a bit of attention and support from another woman. I'll take her out tomorrow for coffee, I promised I would be there for her and she can open up and tell me whatever she wants and she said she would really love that. It's nothing serious Jeff, you don't need to worry – I think after we have a good chat you will start to notice a change in her shortly, but I am begging you that right now it is so important that you show her nothing but love, don't get angry right now."  
  
Jeff was just so relieved and grateful for Michelle. "Thank you so much Michelle, I don't know how I will ever repay you for all of this. Are you sure you don't mind spending time with Emily tomorrow? I am not angry, I am just relieved that it looks like we can get through this – thanks to you."  
  
"Jeff, I am so happy to spend as much time with Emily as she would like or needs – she seems like a great kid and I certainly know what she is going through."  
  
Just then Emily opened up the front door and nervously slid into the seat. She kept her head down, expecting to be in big trouble. Instead Jeff leaned over and gave her a huge hug and told her he loved her. He then said he would take her home so that she could get some sleep, he asked if she was hungry or thirsty or needed anything. Michelle and Tony smiled in the back seat as they watched father and daughter communicate. Things were going to be ok, and Emily already looked so much happier having her father show affection rather than being angry as she expected.  
  
Tony felt so proud of Michelle. What an amazing woman. He couldn't believe how kind and generous she was. To do all of this just to help out his family that she didn't even know out of the goodness of her heart was the most special thing he could imagine. Especially when he knew how much she was hurting herself right now because of Tony. Each second that passed Tony's feelings grew stronger and stronger for Michelle. He already loved her so much as a friend, but now without even a hug or a 2nd kiss he knew he was falling in love with her. He reached his hand over and linked his little finger with Michelle's. A small gesture, but sweet all the same. Michelle looked at Tony's hand and then back out the window, a small smile appeared on her face.  
  
As they drove back to Jeff's house Michelle started with a smile on her face and felt good because Tony had linked his finger with hers but it felt short lived the more she thought about it. She wondered if Tony was just showing her this affection because he felt grateful for what had just happened with Emily. She didn't want to confuse any of his actions because she knew that would just end in heartbreak for her. She looked at her watch, it was close to 4am. She felt almost sickly tired. She rested her head on the back of the chair and closed her eyes. Just a few seconds after she closed her eyes she felt Tony's hand brush over her cheek and then run gently through her hair. He continued to stroke her hair and it felt so unbelievably nice to Michelle. A small groan escaped her mouth – she knew they wouldn't have heard in the front but she wondered if Tony had. She didn't have to wonder for too long.....obviously acting on the sound she had made, Tony slid across the seat and put his arm around her. He then softly pushed her head into his chest and the inside of his shoulder. His body felt so good and she couldn't help but melt into it. She kept her eyes closed the rest of the trip and soaked in the feeling of Tony ever so gently stroking her hair and the side of her face. For whatever his reasons were, for those few minutes back to the house Tony made Michelle feel special. She really wasn't use to that feeling.  
  
When they arrived at Jeff's Michelle slowly opened her eyes and raised her head. Tony was reluctant to take his arm away but knew he had too so as Michelle lifted her head he tucked the hair behind her head and asked her if she was ok. Michelle gave him a sweet smile and nodded her head. The all piled out of the car and gathered at the front of it. Jeff and Emily both thanked Tony and Michelle profusely before heading inside, Michelle and Tony headed to the other side of the driveway to Tony's car. Once he could see his brother and niece had gone inside he stopped walking and held Michelle by her left forearm.  
  
"Michelle.... I can't express enough how much what you did for me and my family tonight means to me. I will never forget it...you are just so kind and generous.........and beautiful." As he said 'beautiful' he took his right hand and placed it on her hip. He moved his body in a little closer to Michelle's and then moved his left hand from her forearm to her other hip. He took another step in closer so that their lower bodies were only an inch apart and then he looked her in the eyes.  
  
Tony was a little surprised to see Michelle's eyes become a little watery and then she took a very small step back. He really had no idea what to do. He dropped his hands, "Oh God, I'm so sorry Michelle...I.... I" He didn't know what to say, he dropped his head. Michelle spoke with a weak voice, "Sorry...I just don't want you to feel like you have to do that just because of all this stuff with Jeff and Emily.....I was happy to help Tony."  
  
Tony put his hands straight back on Michelle's hips and bought his lower body in so that it was now pressed up against hers. He then put his left hand on her chin and raised her head so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "Chelle, this is about nothing but you and I. Forget everything else that has happened for a second...." Tony moved his hand from her chin to her cheek and at the same time moved his hand that was on her hip around a little to her back and pulled her in closer. His eyes shifted down to study her lips, "this is all I have wanted to do since the day we met." Tony could barely breathe he was so nervous, his entire body was in knots. He closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against hers. As their lips touched, they both went a little weak at the knees. Michelle put her hands around Tony's neck and ran her fingers through his hair and on his neck. He let out a small groan at her touch and pulled her body in closer. Michelle tugged on his bottom lip and as he opened his mouth he ever so lightly pushed his tongue into hers. After a second they both closed their mouths and tilted their heads the other way and then kissed again. They were caught up in the sensation of finally being this close, their tongues occasionally crossed into the others mouth but the focus was on just taking in the feeling of each other.  
  
After a couple minutes they both pulled their heads back slightly and looked into each other's eyes. A smile spread across both of their faces. Tony stroked her cheek with his thumb, "Chelle....." He didn't know how to express himself, he had so much to say but all he could think about was how amazing her lips felt. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body and pulled her in as close as possible to him. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world to be standing there with Michelle Dessler in his arms.  
  
Michelle had imagined many times how good it would feel to be wrapped up by Tony, but when it was actually happening she realized it was even better than she could have ever have imagined. He had such strong toned arms that she felt so safe and protected in them. After such a sweet sensual kiss, to finally be held so tightly by him made her feel so close to him. He was her best friend but now they had crossed a line that would be very hard to come back from but it felt like the most 'right' thing in the world. She had always loved Tony as a best friend but knew she wanted more from him. She pulled back from their embrace and looked at Tony again.  
  
"Chelle, I am so sorry I have put you through so much. I know I have confused and hurt you. If I had just had the courage to do that a week ago I would have saved a lot of heartache on both sides. After Nina I have so much trouble opening up and with trust."  
  
"Do you completely trust me Tony?"  
  
Tony directed his gaze away from Michelle's face to the ground. This was like having his worst fear shoved in his face. Work wise and friendship wise he trusted Michelle with his life – more than anyone else in the world. However when it came to his heart he did not trust that she wouldn't hurt him. He knew once he really kissed Michelle, held her in his arms, his feelings would deepen so quickly. He was falling so deeply and passionately in love with her, but he couldn't imagine how she could ever feel the same way back. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, she was so intelligent and sweet that she could have any guy in the world she wanted – there was no way she would be completely happy to be with him. He would never blame her if she found herself attracted to another guy, in fact he would expect it would happen but he didn't know how he could possibly handle it. He had never felt about any girl the way he did about Michelle – she was the one he could see his entire future with – but he didn't believe he was good enough for her to love him the same way back. All he could think was how could she love and want him when she could have her pick of any other guy. How could he give her his heart and trust her with it completely when he figured she was destined to break it when she found someone better.  
  
Michelle watched Tony hang his head, he couldn't answer her, which meant he didn't trust her. "I'll take that as a no shall I?" He half raised his head and looked at her with so much pain in his eyes. She couldn't understand what she had ever done to break his trust. She took her hands from his body and bought them back to her side, she took a slight step back. "You should trust someone Tony unless the give you a reason not too. I can't believe I've spent the last year working my ass off to prove to you that you could trust me and now I see that none of that matters. I guess it's never going to matter how much I care for you or want to do the right thing by you.......I'm never going to live up to Nina am I? God Tony she was the one that hurt you....I am the one that's spent every minute since trying to heal you and help you see that you could still trust people. But none of that is worth a damn because you are still caught up with that other woman. I am sorry I don't compare, but to be honest I am sick of trying." Michelle was so hurt and angry. She couldn't believe after all this, after everything that had been through together she still didn't have his trust. She would never be good enough for Tony – she had to get use to that. She clenched her fists in anger and took some steps away from Tony. She started to head towards their car.  
  
Tony called after her desperately, "No Michelle....let me explain."  
  
"Don't bother Tony, please just take me home." She was now standing at the passenger side door.  
  
"No damn it Michelle, I'm not taking you anywhere." He was walking towards her and his voice was extremely angry and raised. "You wonder why I am scared Michelle? Look how easily you are willing to walk away from me."  
  
"What the hell do you expect me to do Tony? No matter how much I try I'll never be good enough for you. Nina gave you the reason to be scared Tony......NOT ME!!"  
  
He stopped in his tracks still quite a few meters from the car. "Forget Nina.....It will be you that breaks my heart Michelle, it's so obvious when I see you wanting to walk away even now."  
  
"Walk away? Why should I stay Tony when I know how you feel? You've damned me before you even gave me a chance. Am I suppose to stay so you can keep making me feel this way?"  
  
"Well I'd sure as hell fight more for you. What's the point if you just run as soon as things get a little tough."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? It's you that is pushing me away. How am I suppose to fight that? You are going to have a go at me for running when things get tough, how about the fact that you are pushing me away for something someone else has done."  
  
"Holy Shit Michelle, listen to me. This is not about Nina! This is not about me thinking you are really some undercover criminal. God don't you see it's you I am nervous about? That I know you can't give me what I need from you."  
  
Tears streamed down Michelle's face. She felt hysterical and so devastated by him. "If you already know I am not good enough for you then save yourself the time and just leave now. What exactly is so wrong with me that makes you already know I can't give you what you want?"  
  
Tony went to yell back, but stopped to think for a second. He realized that he was wording things in a way that Michelle again had completely the wrong idea. He took a couple deep breathes and tried again. "Chelle, it's that you are too good for me. That you will get bored with me, or meet someone else and I'll end up so hurt. I know that as soon as I got to feel close to you I'll fall too deeply and then you will want to leave me. I can't handle that kind of hurt......why can't you understand that?"  
  
"Why would I ever want to leave you Tony? Have I ever done anything that would make you think I would leave or cheat on you?"  
  
"You could have anyone in the world. I'm not stupid Michelle – what chance do I stand with you when I would be trying to compete against all of the hundreds of other guys who would kill to be with you.?"  
  
"Tony you are the one I care about. I hate that you are so certain that I would hurt you – I want to be the person you feel the most safe with! That's why I am walking away Tony, please take me home now! You are so worried about me breaking your heart.......don't you realize how much you a breaking my heart right now?"  
  
That made Tony stop dead in his tracks. He was the closest he had ever been to losing Michelle, in fact he might have already lost her. Through his own insecurities he continued to hurt her over and over. He felt sick with anger for himself, Michelle was the last person in the world he ever wanted to hurt.  
  
He started to walk closer to her again, "Chelle, don't walk away from me please. Give me a chance to....." Tony stepped on an un-even piece of ground and rolled his ankle. He fell to the side on the ground and instantly felt the sharpest pain in the side of ankle. He lay there stunned for a moment just stunned at the pain in his ankle. He could feel blood dribbling down his leg. Michelle ran to his side saying his name. She bent down over him and had a look at his foot.  
  
"Tony you have a huge cut in your ankle, must be from the stick, there is still a small piece in your foot. I am going to pull it out." Michelle quickly yanked the last piece of wood that had cut into Tony's foot. He yelped in pain as she pulled it out. "I'm sorry Tony, I'm sorry, I had to pull it out. I'm sorry."  
  
"That's ok Michelle, thanks for doing that. I've got to try and get up."  
  
"Hang on Tony, you need stitches badly. I'll help you get up because you can't put any weight on that leg or you will split it open even more. I'll take you to the hospital."  
  
"No Michelle. You need to go home and go to bed. I will be fine by myself, it is just a stupid scratch." He tried to get up but the pain in his foot was overwhelming and he fell back to the ground wincing in pain. He did need Michelle's help. "I guess I do need help. I am so sorry, even if you can just get me to a doctor you don't have to stay, I'll be fine from there." He felt so bad, he knew Michelle was so angry and hurt by him and now she had to help him – it wasn't fair. He felt guilty as anything and so angry that this had happened – all he wanted was to be able to try and sort things out with Michelle. They had been so close with the kiss, which was perfect and then within minutes he had ruined it again. He really didn't deserve her. Michelle bent down and put her arm out for Tony to take hold of. She slowly helped him up so that he was standing on his one good leg.  
  
Michelle couldn't believe it. All she wanted to do was run away and cry. She had the most horrible feeling in her stomach and she really needed to be on her own so that she could just fall apart. She was tired of trying to be somewhat composed – she was a mess but now she had to keep it together to help Tony. No matter how hurt and angry she was with him, it still made her feel sick to see him in pain. It showed her how strongly she felt for him because within seconds of him falling everything she felt went out the window and all she could think about was helping him feel better.  
  
She helped Tony into the car. He had his arm around her shoulder and just hopped on his good foot. Michelle spoke softly, "I'm sorry you are hurting Tony. I promise you will feel better as soon as we can get some help."  
  
"Chelle, don't say your sorry. I'm lucky you are even talking to me, never mind helping me. I am going to make all of this up to you.....I swear."  
  
Michelle started Tony's car up and started to drive toward the hospital. It was now pushing 5am. 


	5. chapter 5

Michelle looked over and could see that Tony was shaking a little and starting to sweat. His eyes kept opening and shutting. She couldn't tell if it was all because of the pain he was feeling or because he was so tired, maybe it was a little of both. She pulled the car over to the side of the road. Tony perked up a little, "what are we doing?"  
  
Michelle leaned down the side of his seat and started adjusting it back. "I want to put your seat back so that you will be a little more comfortable, maybe you will even sleep a little on the way." She grabbed a bottle of water from the backseat. "Here Tony, please just have a couple of mouthfuls of this for me."  
  
Tony finished off half the bottle in one go, he was so thirsty. He just watched Michelle as she adjusted his seat and redid his belt up for him. She was doting over him and he loved it. He felt so guilty but nothing felt better in the world than Michelle giving him a little special attention. He knew he surely didn't deserve it though after the way he had just acted.  
  
"I'm ok Michelle. Why are you being so kind to me after what just happened?"  
  
"Just because of what happened doesn't mean all of a sudden I stop caring for you Tony. All I can care about right now is making sure you get that looked at and are ok."  
  
For the hundredth time that night Michelle had said something else that blew Tony away. He found it hard comprehending what a heart of gold she had. "But Chelle, you just told me that I am breaking your heart. I don't deserve you to be looking out for me like this."  
  
"So.....that's my heart, and that's my problem. No matter how little you think of me Tony.....I know how I feel about you and I don't like seeing you hurt. I mean as if I was just going to leave you there! Can't you just let me help you without questioning my motives?"  
  
Michelle started driving again. "I'm not questioning your motives Chelle, it's just that I keep completely screwing everything up and yet you continue to do the right thing by me. I don't think little of you Michelle, I think the world of you." Just as he was finishing his sentence he accidentally moved his foot and he felt the sharpest pain shoot through it. "Ahh Shit, OH MY GOD!!" He groaned and clenched his fists whilst closing his eyes tightly.  
  
They were very close to the hospital but she just pulled to the side again and pulled the hand brake. Tony was moving his head from side to side and breathing really heavily.  
  
Michelle leaned over to Tony and he stopped moving his head and looked at her. She could see how watery his eyes were. She stroked his hair and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Tony, let's just worry about getting you looked after right now. We have all the time in the world to sort 'us' out – but right now I want you to please stop stressing and worrying and just concentrate on you.....ok?"  
  
Tony took her hand in his and nodded his head. He had a very firm grip on her. Michelle offered him a soothing smile and then started to drive again. Within a minute she was pulling into the hospital. She told Tony to wait in the car till she went and got some help.  
  
After going inside and asking for help, Michelle came back and opened Tony's door. "Someone is going to be here in a second to take you inside, ok? How are you feeling?"  
  
Tony didn't care about his foot, he only cared about Michelle. He felt truly upset for everything that had happened between them. He had really realized just how special Michelle was and nothing scared him more than thinking of not having her as his girl by his side. He stroked her arm and a couple of the tears in his eyes started to slowly make their way down his check. "I'm sorry I've screwed up Chelle. God I am so sorry....."  
  
The medic arrived at the door behind Michelle ready to help. Michelle leaned in closer to Tony and put her hand near his mouth to stop him talking, "Shhh it's ok, come on sweetie, we need to get you inside."  
  
The medic was a huge guy and he basically just picked Tony up and put him into the wheelchair. They went inside where the hospital was so quiet and empty. It was after 5 in the morning. Tony was taken straight into the care room and introduced to a doctor who began examining his wound. Tony looked over at Michelle who looked so tired she could barely stand straight. It made him think of a time when he was with Nina and he had broken a rib playing touch football. He had been taken to hospital and the coach called Nina to tell her what happened. She took 3 hours to even get to the hospital and when she finally came she yelled at him for stuffing up her afternoon with her friends. She threw an overnight bag at him and left. She never came back to see him, he had made his on way home the next day and just caught up with her at work a few days later. He remembered how guilty he had felt then for upsetting Nina so bad and for being such a pain in the arse. Looking at Michelle he just couldn't understand for the life of him what she was still doing there. Not only had he been an arsehole for like a week straight now, and she had said how much he was hurting her, yet here she was still standing by his side to make sure he was ok. Tony couldn't remember a time that he had been angrier with himself than he was right now. After a round of x-rays and what felt like hours of watching the doctor look at his foot, he finally told Tony and Michelle what he was going to do.  
  
"Tony, there is no actual damage as far as a break or spraining your ankle, which is good – you are lucky. This stick though has cut through extremely deep and unfortunately left lots and lots of little splinters inside the wound. That's why you are in so much pain, every time you move a splinter would be jabbing you straight into the flesh and tearing the cut a little more. I am going to have to put you under a general to clean the wound out properly and then I will need to do a couple layers of stitches. I'll need to keep you in hospital for the day and have you keep quiet for a few days on it, but after that you should be fine."  
  
"You don't understand doctor, I can't have an operation now. I just can't. I've got work...." Tony could feel his stomach turning into knots, this was the last thing he expected he was going to have to go through. He had never had an operation before and if he was honest....it scared the hell out of him.  
  
"Mr. Almeida, you don't really have an option here, if you don't have this done you will end up with serious infections and the wound will never heal properly. It is just a small operation, you will be fine. We will head into surgery soon, in the mean time I'll have the nurses get you ready and give you a pre-med to calm your nerves."  
  
Tony was given an injection almost immediately that would calm his nerves and almost put him into a dream like state. A nurse then wheeled Tony up to the next floor asking him a million questions along the way. Michelle was always just one step behind. After what seemed like forever but was only actually 7 or 8 minutes Tony and Michelle were finally left alone. Tony was lying flat on his back in a bed and Michelle pulled up a chair next to him.  
  
"Michelle you can go home. I'll be fine from here." Tony knew he sounded harsh, it was intended for himself but instead he aimed it at her.  
  
"I'm not leaving you Tony. You are about to have surgery. Can I get you something? Are you warm enough?"  
  
"WHAT?!? What the hell is the matter with you Chelle? Why are you treating me like this? I don't deserve it. You should be hating me right now, you shouldn't care how bloody warm I am." Tony was really sniping at her – maybe the injection was starting to hit him, he was surprised at his own words.  
  
"Obviously there is lots the matter with me....I'm picking that up clear this week! Either way, of course you deserve to have someone with you through all this."  
  
"Why? Nobody else has ever given a damn before, why the hell should you start now? I should be on my own, not pissing anyone off. God Michelle, not even my ex-girlfriend stayed at the hospital with me over more serious crap than this."  
  
Michelle was surprised to see Tony so angry and direct. She figured the injection was at least some of the reason. "Which ex-girlfriend?.....Nina?"  
  
"Yes Nina. At least she knew when I was worth the time or not." Tony knew that was a low blow but he continued anyway.... "I broke a rib in football and was injured and taken to hospital. She was so pissed at me because she had to leave her friends when they were hanging out to bring me an overnight bag. She never stayed with me, but I understood....she thought I was useless when I was sick and she was angry with me for ruining her day. That made sense to me...the way you are acting doesn't Michelle."  
  
"Oh My God Tony – listen to yourself. Nina was one messed up bitch. I can't believe you would be with someone who treated you like that. She was angry with you because you were hurt??!? She told you that you were useless when you were sick?!?! What kind of horrible person says that to someone Tony? I just can't believe it."  
  
"Well, it's true Michelle and that's how lots of people would be. You have acted like you care more about me than anyone ever in my life besides my family."  
  
Michelle stood up and walked over to Tony. She began stroking his hair. "Tony yes lots of people are like that but you don't deserve to be around them. You are so defensive to me, because you would feel more comfortable if I started treating you like crap, but I am not going to do that. I'll treat you the way I think you deserve. You have no idea just how special you are Tony, but I do and I'm going to keep reminding you until you realize it yourself. So you can keep yelling at me, do what ever you have to do but for once you are not going to go through something alone. Whether you want to admit it to me or not, I know you must be a bit nervous and scared – anyone would be. I know you are angry with me, so you don't even have to talk to me....I'll just be here. I am going to hold your hand though, and if you would like – then when you feel pain or nervous if you want you can give it a bit of a squeeze and then you will know you are not alone."  
  
Michelle sat down again but this time took her hand and put it inside Tony's. She turned her head away a little so that they didn't have to look directly each other. Tony lay there completely dumbfounded by Michelle. Nobody had ever been so kind and loving to him in his entire life....NO ONE. He didn't know how to feel, what to say or what to think. He did know that for the first time in a long time he felt warm and 'wanted'. He took Michelle's hand asked with a couple tears rolling down his cheek. "Do you really mean that Michelle? Really?"  
  
Michelle squeezed his hand back, "Yes Tony, every word."  
  
"Aren't you too mad to stay with me Chelle? Aren't you too tired?" Tony was now speaking in a very quiet shaky voice. Michelle had never seen him so vulnerable before.  
  
"Everything else aside, you are still my best friend Tony. Doesn't matter how angry or upset I ever get with you, I'll never stop caring for you, or wanting you to be ok. Tell me Tony, if it was me in the hospital bed, do you think you would stay with me?"  
  
"Of course I would. But you haven't acted like I have."  
  
"Tony forget about everything else for a minute.......do you want me here? Don't think about all the macho stuff blah blah....do YOU want me by your side right now?"  
  
"So, so much Chelle. I need you."  
  
"Why are you so determined to push me away then Tony? How come you get so angry with me? Do you really believe I am going to hurt you? What have I done wrong to make you think I can't give you what you want?"  
  
The drugs had made Tony so relaxed he would have said anything now. His body completely sunk into the bed and his eyes felt very heavy. He didn't feel nervous to say anything to Michelle at this point. "I've spent every minute of the last year falling in love with you Chelle. Do you know how hard it is to love someone and think they will never feel that way back? When you kissed me last week I actually thought for a second that just maybe you wanted me too. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that you were never going to feel the same way as me. There are so many guys who could offer you so much more than me and I can't compete with them. I tried to act to you like it was all no big deal, almost trying to convince myself that I didn't care. None of all this was about me not trusting you Chelle – what I meant was that I didn't trust or believe that my heart wasn't going to get broken. You couldn't give me what I want, because what I want is you.  
  
As much as I have acted like a jerk all week and especially tonight, the bottom line is that I am so in love with you but I just know it's not going to work – I get so frustrated and say all the wrong things. I ruin everything before I've even given it a chance.  
  
I'm not use to how nice you always are to me. You have been my best friend and no one has ever treated me as well as you have. Now I see how good you have been to me tonight......I don't deserve it Michelle."  
  
Tony stopped and noticed that tears had started to roll down Michelle's cheeks. "See and now I've made you cry, how many times have I done that in the last 24 hours? You should be with someone that makes you smile Chelle."  
  
"You have always made me smile Tony. I'm crying because I am sad to hear you speak like this Tony. You are so confident and direct at work and events it is hard for me to see this side of you. Tonight I have realized how poorly you have been treated by girlfriends in the past – you have let them beat you into believing that that is what you are worth."  
  
"Maybe they have treated me how I deserve to be treated. I'm sorry you are seeing this side of me Chelle. This side is a much bigger part of me though than work."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"Well work is work – I like what I do, most of the time. But all my life all I have wanted is to have that special person in my life....ya know, get married have kids, go traveling. All of that is who I really am."  
  
Tony's eyes were getting so heavy he could barely keep them open now. When he looked at Michelle she looked blurry. He kept opening and shutting his eyes trying to focus on her. He couldn't feel his body at all, he felt like just a head lying on a bed. Michelle walked into the bathroom and got a damp washcloth and came back over to Tony. She stood over him and wiped his face down – it made Tony feel so good. Michelle then stroked the side of Tony's face, gently playing with his hair, she looked at him adoringly.  
  
"Close your eyes sweetie, don't fight the drugs." A huge smile spread across Tony's face as he closed his eyes.  
  
"What are you smiling at Tony?"  
  
"Nothing, just you called me sweetie and it felt really nice."  
  
"Tony you are my sweetheart. You have always treated me so well. Our emotions are all over the place in the last week and lots has happened but I'm not going to let that change everything we have had together for the last year. What you told me about how Nina acted when you were in hospital is so devastating. You have to understand how wrong that is Tony – you would never treat someone like that would you?"  
  
"No I never would Chelle. Please don't worry about that though, I'm fine – I shouldn't have even mentioned it."  
  
"I am worried Tony. You know when we were arguing back at your brother's house, I was so angry with you and so upset but as soon as I saw you fall and hurt yourself all of that went straight out the window. All I could think about was taking your pain away. Just now looking at you, I just want to wrap you up in my arms and hold you so tight. It makes me sick seeing you in pain. I could never leave you."  
  
Tony opened his eyes and looked straight at Michelle. "You have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that. You are just so special...."  
  
Michelle gently closed over Tony's eyes. "I'm not just saying all this as your friend Tony.....I think you are the most intelligent, sweet, funny, generous, handsome and sexy man and whether you believe it or not – I know you would make me the happiest girl in the world if I had you in my life as my best friend as well as my lover....."  
  
Tony's eyes popped open again. His smile covered his entire face. He lifted his hand up and touched her cheek and ran his finger along her lips. His hand was shaking and he was having trouble making it do what he wanted it to do and so it was kinda just flailing around in the air. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?......are you going to give things with me a go.....will you be my girl?"  
  
Michelle took a hold of Tony's arm and held his hand. "Yes I'll be your girl.....I wish things were different, but I'm happy to do whatever I have to do for as long as I have too to prove to you that you can trust me and that I'll never break your heart. You though Tony, have to talk to me and let me know how you're feeling – always be open and honest with me."  
  
"Chelle.....I trust you. I've never trusted anyone more. I'll always tell you how I am feeling – I love talking to you. God what I'd give to be able to stand up and hold you and kiss you right now."  
  
Michelle bent down and lowered her head to Tony. She placed her hand on his chest and gently pressed her lips against his. Tony groaned and then put his arm around Michelle's head and pulled her in even closer. He kissed her with more force, opening her lips and pushing his tongue into her mouth. Michelle giggled a little and pulled her head back a little, but so their noses were still touching. "Tony, you are laying there basically passed out, you can't even open your eyes – yet you just put all the effort and energy in the world into that kiss!!"  
  
"Maybe it's the drugs, but with you this close to me, I feel capable of doing anything right now." Tony gave Michelle a wink, which looked cute seeing as his eyes were already half closed. She giggled again and Tony pulled her back in to his mouth and started kissing her passionately again. His hand cupped her face and used his other hand to hold her head and run his hand through her hair.  
  
They were interrupted by a couple of nurses who had come in to take Tony down to surgery. Michelle asked for 1 minute with him first. They stepped outside. Michelle took Tony's hand. "How you feeling?"  
  
"So much better now....nothing could take the smile of my face!"  
  
Michelle kissed him on the forehead, the cheek and then left a lingering one on his lips. "I'll be right here when you wake up sweetie, and you know I'll be thinking of you."  
  
The nurses entered the room again and said they really needed to take Tony now. Michelle blew Tony a kiss as he was wheeled out of the room, she had to laugh as she watched him pretended to catch the kiss and eat it. He looked so happy, Michelle had to laugh thinking that the nurses must think he is nuts heading for surgery with such a big smile on his face. 


	6. chapter 6

Once Tony was out of site, Michelle sat back on the chair for a moment to take everything in. What an emotional night. Michelle really didn't know how she felt about it all, but that didn't really matter – her and Tony were going to give things a go. She had learnt so much about him in the last 12 hours. On one hand he was so assertive and confident, yet he was very sensitive and had low self-esteem. She knew so much of that came from being so badly burned by people he had trusted in the past. He seemed so sure that if he gave his heart to her that he would end up hurt. Michelle realized that Tony really needed her just as much as she needed him.  
  
It was close to 7am now and so Michelle decided she would make a made dash for the office to pick the G8 report and bring it back to the hospital to work on while she waited for Tony.  
  
By the time Michelle had been to the office and was on her way back it was just after 7:30am and so she gave Chappelle a call to fill him in. He didn't seem to be bothered with what happened as long as the report was in. Michelle was back in the room and typing away for nearly an hour before Tony was bought back from recovery.  
  
Tony was so groggy he could barely open his eyes. Michelle stood over him and stroked the side of his face. He barely stirred but she continued to run her hand through his hair and gently caress his cheek for a few minutes. He looked so vulnerable and adorable lying there. It was hard to believe that the were in this situation, just a couple days ago she would never have believed she would be comforting Tony after an operation especially that they had confessed their feelings for one another. She pulled her chair up right next to him and then continued to work whilst he slept. Michelle gave it all her focus and was really zooming through the report.  
  
Tony was starting to come too. His eyes felt heavy as he slowly opened them to survey the room. It took him a moment to register where he was and why. As he turned his head he saw Michelle. She was right by his side as she had promised. She looked so beautiful and he could feel his heart skip a beat as he remembered that she had said she would give things a go with him. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world. He said her name to get her attention and was surprised at how quiet his voice actually came out. His throat was dry and he felt queasy in the stomach. Michelle looked at him and immediately put her laptop down and stood up over him. She ran her fingers through his hair just above his ear.  
  
"Hey gorgeous, how are you feeling?"  
  
Tony smiled, "Alright I think.....a little queasy."  
  
Michelle poured Tony a glass of water and held it out to him. "Want some water? Can I get you anything else?"  
  
Tony took the cup and slightly raised his head to take a sip, just that simple movement felt like such an effort to him. "Thanks Chelle, this is exactly what I needed. How are you feeling? I can't believe you are working, you should have tried to get some sleep."  
  
"I'm fine Tony, I figured I'd get through as much as the report as possible. I let Chappelle know we both wouldn't be at work and he was fine as long as I was able to still get him the report."  
  
Tony reached for her hand, his grip was weak but he loved holding her hand. "Thanks for being here with me Chelle. I'm so glad you are here, I am so lucky."  
  
"There is no where else I would be right now. You should try and sleep some more babe, you will feel so much better if you sleep off the anesthetic." She gave him a short but sweet kiss on the forehead.  
  
Tony shut his eyes, and was asleep again in seconds. Michelle spent the next couple of hours continuing on the report. She was achieving a lot more than if she had been at the office with interruptions every minute.  
  
It was nearing lunchtime before Tony stirred again. Tony felt a lot better than he had a couple hours ago. The drugs had worn off which meant he didn't feel sick but his ankle really hurt. He couldn't believe Michelle was still in the same spot plugging away. He reached his hand out to her cheek and she raised her head.  
  
"You are awake! Do you feel a little better?"  
  
"So much better...."  
  
Tony was interrupted by his doctor walking in.  
  
"Tony, how are you feeling?"  
  
"I feel pretty good, but I've got a fair bit of pain."  
  
"Yes, well the anesthetic would have worn off by now, I'll have a nurse bring you some more pain killers. You are pretty much free to go home if you have someone to care for you. You need to use crutches today and tomorrow but then after that you need to still take it easy for a while. I want to keep the stitches in for at least 2 weeks and you have to be very careful not to rip them. I'll give you a prescription for some painkillers, but I think after the next couple days it really shouldn't bother you too much. Now do you have someone to help care for you?"  
  
Tony half looked at Michelle, but didn't know what to say. "Ummmm...."  
  
Michelle piped in, "I'll be able to help him with whatever he needs doctor. What do I need to do?"  
  
"Basically just to help him around the house. Especially today he needs to keep off his foot as much as possible. He will need help washing himself and carrying things whilst he is on the crutches."  
  
"Ok, no worries."  
  
"I'll have the nurse fit you Tony with some crutches and then sign you out. I'd like you to come in for a check-up early next week."  
  
The doctor left the room and Tony turned to Michelle. "Chelle, I can't expect you to do all that.....I can call one of my parents or something."  
  
"Tony, I want to care for you, if you want me too. I'd like to be able to look after you."  
  
Tony smiled and took Michelle by the hand. "You are so beautiful Chelle."  
  
The nurse came in and fitted Tony with some crutches and gave him an injection for pain. After a pile of paper work they were finally free to go. It had only been a week since Tony had been on crutched from his confrontation with Jack so he felt like a bit of a pro on them. He felt relieved to get into the car and be heading home. He had to direct Michelle as she had never been to his place before.  
  
Michelle parked the car and walked slowly behind Tony up to his apartment to make sure he didn't fall. She took his keys and opened the door and then Tony led her over to the couch where he sat down immediately. Michelle pushed a footstool up to the couch and then lifted Tony's leg up onto it.  
  
"Chelle, make sure you help yourself to anything you want, please make yourself at home."  
  
"Thanks Tony, now what do you need, what can I get you – how about some lunch and a drink?"  
  
"Yeah, I am starving – I can come sit at the counter and help."  
  
"No it's ok. I want you to stay here and rest. I can take care of the food." Michelle handed Tony the TV remote.  
  
"Chelle come sit next to me for a minute." Tony patted the couch next to him.  
  
Michelle sat on the couch next to Tony with her body facing him and he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer to him. They looked each other in the eyes for a few moments and then at the same time they both leaned in for a hug. They held each tightly. This is what Michelle had needed for so long from Tony and it felt so good. His arms were strong and she felt so good wrapped up in them. After a couple minutes Tony pushed the hair away from her neck and very tenderly kissed her shoulder and then kept kissing her all the way up her neck. Michelle tilted her head for Tony and groaned quietly. It felt so sensual and it sent shivers up her spine. As she reacted to his touch his kisses became a little more passionate. She could feel that he started to use his tongue as he moved his kisses to around her ear and then he gently sucked on her ear lobe as his arms kept her body in close to his. Tony couldn't believe after all this time he was actually this close to Michelle. Her skin was so soft under his lips and hearing her groan as he kissed her turned him on even more. He just loved being this close to her.  
  
He stopped kissing her but kept his mouth near her ear and spoke softly. "You have no idea how strongly I feel for you Chelle. I've wanted to be this close to you since the moment we met. You are just so special to me and all I want is to be able to make you as happy as you make me feel. You are the best person I know, just so beautiful inside and out. I am so sorry for everything I have put you through this week, especially last night."  
  
Michelle was so touched, she cupped Tony's face with her hands and brought his head up so their faces were level and she could look him in the eyes. She was lost for words, she tried a couple times to speak but nothing but stutter came out. Tony smiled at her attempts for words. All she could do at that point to express herself was to kiss him passionately, much like their first kiss at CTU. She dropped one of her hands from his cheek and grabbed at his chest, he in return held her face with his hands and moved them from her cheeks through her hair. The kiss intensified and they were both completely lost in each other, unable to get close enough making them more and more desperate for one another.  
  
Michelle pulled her head back, they both gasped for air. "Tony, you are everything to me." She pressed her lips back against his, but after a couple seconds Tony pulled away this time. "Chelle you...... GOD you are so sexy." As Tony reached for her lips again he leaned his body back on the couch and pulled Michelle with him so that she was on top of him. He ran his hands firmly up and down her back and Michelle did the same to his chest.  
  
After awhile they stopped kissing and Michelle rested her head on his chest and Tony stroked her hair and back. They stayed like this for a while in silence just soaking in the moment and then Michelle sat up.  
  
"I'd better start getting lunch ready. You don't move, ok?" She gave him a wink.  
  
Tony nodded while smiling at Michelle in adoration. She got up and headed for the kitchen, Tony's eyes followed her the entire way.  
  
Tony surfed through the channels while Michelle made them some sandwiches. They sat together on the couch and ate.  
  
"Tony can you please give me Emily's number? I promised her I would see her today."  
  
"Oh Chelle, this is all just too much for you. You are going to get run down. Emily would understand if we re-scheduled it for another day."  
  
"No I really don't want to do that. I promised her I would be there for her to talk to and I feel it is way to important to let her down. I don't want to leave you though so I was thinking maybe Jeff could just drop her over here later on?"  
  
"It's things like this that make you such a wonderful person Chelle. I'll call Jeff now – I'll have him stay and I can hang out with him while you and Emily chat."  
  
Tony called Jeff and filled him in on everything that had happened. Jeff couldn't believe it. Tony invited he and Emily over for that night and Jeff suggested they would drop by just after six and that they would bring pizza with them for dinner. Jeff figured something must have finally happened between Tony and Michelle but decided he would talk to Tony about it tonight.  
  
Just as Tony got off the phone a movie started up on the TV. "Chelle, do you want to watch this?"  
  
"You watch it sweetie, I'd better keep going on the report."  
  
"No Chelle, I'm serious I want you to relax. You still haven't slept at all. Forget the report for now, I want you to take some time out. Why don't you lay on the couch and you can rest your head on my lap."  
  
Michelle did feel too tired to do the report and she knew Tony wasn't going to let her anyways and so she lay on her side with her head on his lap facing the TV. Tony stroked the side of her face and her hair. Tony became enthralled in the movie and Michelle battled her heavy eyes for a few minutes but lost the battle and fell into a deep sleep. Tony was happy to see Michelle was finally getting some sleep. He continued stroking her hair and spent every add break just gazing lovingly at her. Michelle slept through the entire movie and then for another couple of hours as Tony got sucked into a few different shows. He felt blissfully happy with her in his arms.  
  
Michelle woke close to 6:30, she rolled onto her back so that she was looking straight up at Tony. He looked down, "Hey sleepy head, I'm so glad you got some rest."  
  
At first Michelle almost had to pinch herself when she first woke to make sure this was real. That she was really lying there in Tony's arms. She looked up at his beautiful face – she knew he was the one for her. The thought of a future with Tony made her the happiest she had ever been. She just hoped Tony would be able to fully trust her.  
  
"Chelle, what are you thinking?"  
  
"Tony, do you ever think you will be able to put Nina behind you?"  
  
Tony was completely taken by surprise by the question. "In what way? What do you mean?"  
  
"Like, do you think you will be able to put those feelings behind you one day?"  
  
"Michelle, do you think I still have feelings for Nina? Why are you even thinking or worrying about that?"  
  
"I just don't know how I'll ever be able to live up to her. I mean you loved her so deeply right? That's why no matter what you and I have been through since we met, you still think I'd do the wrong thing by you......because Nina did. Did you trust her completely from the start? I can't come close to even comparing to her – so I just don't know how I could ever offer you enough to make you as happy with me as you were with her before all that crap happened."  
  
Tony felt horrified. He was so upset to hear Michelle even thinking all that but he totally understood why she did. He had said so much stuff last night that would have confused her so much.  
  
"Honey, you have it all wrong. What I have with you now, already passes anything I ever had with Nina. I did care for her, but in the back of mind I always knew it was never going anywhere. What we have is special." Tony could see Michelle's eyes were starting to water. This was a lot harder on her than it was on him. "Michelle why do you feel like you need to live up to Nina? Don't you think I hate her for everything she did? I mean I have never been more disgusted with a person than I am with her."  
  
Michelle looked away from Tony turning her head to the side. "I know how beautiful she was. Her actions still have more of an impact on you than mine ever could....."  
  
Tony put his finger down over Michelle's lips to stop her from saying anything more. "Are you kidding me? How could you think that Chelle?"  
  
"Because that's why you don't really trust that I won't do the right thing by you right? I just wish......I wish that, I...you..." Michelle sat up out of Tony's lap but was still facing him.  
  
Tony didn't want Michelle to get off his lap because he knew as soon as she did that she was uncomfortable with him or upset. He reached out and put his hand on her's which was resting on her leg. "What Chelle? what do you wish? you can tell me."  
  
Tony watched Michelle struggle to say what she wanted to say. The tears were growing in her eyes and she kept wiping them away with the back of her arm. Tony put his hand up and wiped away the tears with his thumb. "Chelle....sweetie"  
  
"I wish you could see how much I have tried since I met you to prove to you how much you could trust me. That has been the most important thing to me.....to show you that I was honest and different and you could count on that. That you could always count on me to do the right thing by you, that I wouldn't let you down. But I am assuming that because of Nina all of that doesn't matter and you didn't notice anyways because you are still stuck on her and what she did." Michelle broke eye contact with Tony and looked down.  
  
Tony was shocked and took a few moments to take in what Michelle had said. The doorbell rang – Jeff and Emily had arrived. Once again Tony wished he could pause time.....it felt like when Chelle really needed him they kept on getting interrupted.  
  
Michelle wiped her face roughly with her sleeve and then got up to go and get the door. "That must be your brother and Emily, I'll get it."  
  
Tony grabbed Michelle's hand, "Chelle...."  
  
"It's ok Tony, I am fine.....really." Michelle went to let Jeff and Emily in and led them back over to Tony. Emily sat next to Tony and gave him a big hug. "I'm so sorry about your ankle uncle T. If you hadn't been out trying to find me it wouldn't have happened."  
  
Tony kept Emily in the embrace. "Emily, don't even think like that. It was just an accident that could have happened anywhere – I should have been looking where I stepped. Besides I'll be good to go in just a day or 2."  
  
"Yeah but...."  
  
"Yeah but nothing Emily. Plus because of my foot I get to have this gorgeous woman here looking after me.......anything is worth that." Tony was pointing over to Michelle who smiled at his words.  
  
Jeff put the pizza's down on the coffee table and inspected Tony's foot. Michelle headed into the kitchen to get some plates and serviettes.  
  
The four of them sat around chatting and eating dinner. Jeff spent a lot of time asking Michelle questions so he could get to know her better. Tony spent most of the meal just watching Michelle and every time she caught his stare he would smile or wink at her. He so badly just wanted to hold her and tell her how much he did trust her. That she was the person he trusted with his life.  
  
Michelle stood up and looked over to Emily. "Emily, why don't you and I go and have some chats on the balcony?"  
  
Emily jumped up and headed for the balcony, "Great!"  
  
As Michelle turned to walk Tony called her over to the couch. She sat next to him, "can I get you anything before I go out Tony?"  
  
Sensing Tony wanted a minute with Michelle, Jeff and Emily grabbed the boxes and plates and took them into the kitchen. Tony, ran his hand through Michelle's hair. "Chelle....I just need you to know that I do trust you. After they leave you and I really need to have a chat but until then....." Tony kissed Michelle tenderly on the lips. "know how much I want you, how much I need you." Tony kissed her again, this time he tugged on her bottom lip and pushed his tongue into her mouth. Knowing they only had a few moments Tony was very passionate and intense, wanting Michelle to spend the time between now and when they could talk thinking of their kiss.  
  
For the next hour and a half Michelle and Emily sat out on the balcony chatting. Emily really opened up to Michelle, and it just felt so good for her to finally have another girl to talk to. Michelle was able to help Emily realize that all the things she was feeling and experiencing were completely normal.  
  
Inside, Tony and Jeff talked through the last 24 hours of their lives. Tony told Jeff how he had made Michelle feel – that through his poor choice of words last night he had made Michelle feel like he couldn't completely trust her. Michelle thought it was because of Nina, which Tony could completely understand why, but it actually really had nothing to do with Nina at all - he asked Jeff how he could make Michelle believe that. Tony had tried to explain it to Michelle in the hospital before the operation but she hadn't really taken it in – that showed Tony how much damage he had caused with all that crap he had said. Jeff stressed to his little brother that it was time for Tony to really open himself up to Michelle and stay open. "Tony, it's no good to say a million things to Michelle that you don't mean, then say 3 things you do mean – and expect she is going to truly understand how you feel."  
  
Tony knew that Jeff was totally right. "I feel like I know what I need to do, I just hope I don't screw it up again.....as you know I'm not too good at all this crap."  
  
Jeff had to laugh a little. "That's because you are such a hard ass at work, you are just not use to having someone else see your insecurities."  
  
Emily and Michelle joined the guys from the balcony and for the next few minutes they all chatted together. Jeff could already see a bit of a difference in Emily. He mouthed 'thank you' to Michelle then knowing Tony and Michelle needed to be alone he gathered Emily and they both headed off. The 4 of them planned to meet up again in a few days.  
  
Once they had gone, Michelle and Tony sat back on the couch. Tony was starting to look a little uncomfortable in his clothes which made Michelle realize that neither one of them had washed or changed in over 30 hours now. "Umm Tony, I am sure you will feel a lot better if you have a bath and get changed into something comfy. Just wear your boxers or shorts or something and I'll help you."  
  
"What about you though Chelle, I bet you'd feel better to get washed up too."  
  
"Yeah, I'll do that when I get home."  
  
Tony picked up Michelle's hand and gave her a bit of a cheeky smile. "What - you're not going to stay here tonight?"  
  
"I, I.....do you want me too?"  
  
"Well if you don't.....who is going to look after me?"  
  
Michelle had to smile. She took Tony's other hand in hers and gave him a cheeky smile back. "Well I guess I can't leave you here by yourself......do you have some clothes I can change into after I wash up?"  
  
"Of course!!.....so, does that mean you will stay with me?"  
  
"Sure, if that's what you want."  
  
Tony pulled Michelle in closer to him, "Chelle, you are all I want."  
  
Michelle lowered her head a little smiling shyly. Tony completely made her blush and he knew it! He lifted her chin with his finger, "don't tell me you are blushing Chelle!" Tony gave her another of his cheeky smiles.  
  
Chelle playfully pushed Tony on the chest, "Maybe...." She had to laugh. "Now, come on I'll help you to the bathroom."  
  
Tony stood up from the couch and Michelle handed him his crutches. Tony led the way and Michelle watched him carefully as she followed behind him. When they got into the bathroom, Michelle had Tony sit up next to the bathtub. They were both feeling extremely awkward about how to handle the situation. Tony tried to joke to take away the focus on what was about to happen. "I can't have a bath.....Real men don't take baths!!"  
  
Michelle ran with it, "not only that, but you are also having to have a GIRL wash you....what would people think!?!?" They both laughed a nervous laugh. Michelle started filling the bath and checking the temperature. She pulled some towels over and got everything organized. She turned back to Tony.  
  
"So ummm, are you wearing underwear or boxer shorts?"  
  
Tony looked like he had to think for a second. "I have boxer shorts on."  
  
"Do you feel comfortable just wearing those for your bath?"  
  
"That's ok with me – do you feel comfortable with that Michelle?" Tony felt totally nervous about Michelle seeing him in just his boxers for the first time. He also felt embarrassed that he had to have her help him take a bath to wash. "Chelle, I am kinda embarrassed about all this – if you don't feel comfortable, I am sure I can work it out or just wait till tomorrow when I can do a little more."  
  
Michelle sat next to Tony. "Don't be embarrassed Tony, I mean I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little like nervous, but we will both be fine. Boxer shorts are fine with me!"  
  
Michelle stopped the water. "Ok, you wanna take your shirt off?"  
  
Tony gave a very shy smile and then undid his buttons and took his shirt off. Michelle didn't take her eyes off him – he had the sexiest chest. So tanned and toned and defined muscles – she could have looked at him all night. Tony kinda hunched himself over as if trying to hide as much of himself as he could.  
  
"Tony, trust me, you have nothing to worry about. You have the most sexy body....you really are gorgeous." The smile that appeared on Tony's face was huge. To hear Michelle say that to him was just amazing. He thought Michelle was the sexiest woman he had ever seen and that fact that she was attracted to him made him feel so good and special. It was something he had dreamed hearing her say to him. It gave him so much more confidence for taking the next step of removing his pants. Still with the world biggest smile he undid his belt and zipper and pulled his pants to his knees. He realized he was going to need help getting them off his feet. Fortunately Michelle noticed at the same time and saved Tony having to ask by getting down on her knees in front of him and grabbed his pants. They both looked at each other and smiled and then she gently pulled his pants down and over his ankles and off his feet. "Thanks Chelle."  
  
"No worries. Now do you think you can slid yourself into the bath and I'll hold your foot out of the water while you get in and then we can keep it rested on the side so it doesn't get wet at all?"  
  
Tony nodded and swiveled his body around so he was facing into the bath and his bad ankle was on Michelle's side. She took his foot very gently in both her hands and raised it as he slowly slid his body down into the water. Once he was in all the way, Michelle wrapped a towel around his foot and ankle and then rested it on the ledge. They both looked a little relived that at least one of the hard parts was over.  
  
Tony wanted to use this opportunity to tell Michelle how he felt.  
  
Michelle wasn't really sure what she should do now. "Tony do you want me to leave you alone and let you relax and wash up, or would you like me to give you a hand?"  
  
"Stay with me Chelle. I actually want to tell you some stuff."  
  
Michelle walked up behind Tony's head to get to the other side of the tub, away from his foot on the ledge. She rolled up her pant legs and sat on the edge and put her feet into the water beside Tony's body. She picked up some soap and went to rub it into Tony's chest. She hesitated – it all felt so intimate which was all she had ever wanted with him but it still felt a little funny as they really had only kissed before. At her hesitation her hand was left half stretched out and Tony could see she looked a little unsure. He smiled at her and then took her hand in his and placed it on his chest. Michelle smiled back at Tony and then slowly began to massage the soap into his body. As her hands glided over his shoulders and arms, Tony began to talk.  
  
"About before Chelle. I know I have said so much stuff that must really have you confused and I want to clear it up. Nina has nothing to do with any of this....yes she completely squashed my trust in anyone, but you Chelle are the one that taught me how to get that back. Don't think I didn't notice Chelle....everything you have done for me has helped me so much in learning how to trust again. I trust you Michelle with my life, I really do. The reason I was saying all that crap was because I guess I am worried that I'm falling for you so deeply and you might not return my feelings. You could have anyone you wanted and it's hard for me to imagine that you would want me. This isn't a fling to me Chelle, I want a future with you. I freaked out and acted like that because after we kissed my feelings immediately became so much more intense and all I could think was that you would change your mind about me and leave. I am insecure about all this, which I know surprises you but it's only because you are so important to me and I have never wanted anything more than for this to work out. It is so hard for me to open up like this and show you this side of me because I know you are use to seeing me so confident and direct at work, which is how I am but I guess I just take matters of the heart seriously. Am I making sense?"  
  
"Tony I have fallen for you so deeply. I promise you this is not a fling to me – I would be crushed if you wanted to walk away now. I too was so scared when we kissed last night because it felt so perfect and right, everything and more than I had dreamed of and that's why I got so upset when you said all that stuff. I thought we had no chance if I couldn't offer you what you wanted or you didn't trust me and I immediately felt heartbroken."  
  
"I am so sorry Chelle. I am so sorry. You know you could have anyone though Chelle....I can't offer you what other guys can."  
  
"Exactly what do you think they have that you don't?"  
  
"Well I know you could have someone a hell of a lot more attractive than me. I don't know....someone who is better at opening up and wouldn't hurt you like I did last night....."  
  
"Stop there Tony – don't you know how attracted to you I am? God, I can't take my eyes off you. You turn me on Tony more than you could imagine, when you touch me I go weak in my knees. You know since the day I met you, I have not given one other guy a second glance – you are just perfect for me. As for last night....everyone freaks out. I haven't been much better myself.....and it's probably made us closer and more open and honest with each other in the end anyways which is a good thing."  
  
"Chelle, you have no idea how hearing you say that makes me feel. Looking at you completely takes my breath away. Do you...I mean...do you really not just see this as a fling?"  
  
"I couldn't handle that Tony. I need you and I need to know it's real and that we are working on a future."  
  
"All I want is you Chelle."  
  
"Well that works perfect, because all I want is you."  
  
Tony and Michelle both looked into each other's eyes. Not another word needed to be said. Even though they had not said they loved each other yet, they could both feel nothing but love from one another. They held the gaze for a few moments and smiled. Michelle was the first to break the silence.  
  
"Here, can you sit up at all so I can reach your back?" Tony sat forward as much as he could and Michelle washed his back. It felt so good feeling her hands slide over him. "Tony, can I wash your hair, it will be fun!?"  
  
Tony laughed, "sure if you must, but lets just keep it between us ok? Don't want the guys to think I have gone too soft!!"  
  
Tony dunked his head and got it wet and then Michelle lathered shampoo through his hair. She massaged his head as she did and Tony absolutely loved it! "Oh my God Chelle, that feels so unbelievably good. You can do this anytime, I don't care what anyone says!" So Michelle kept going and spent a long time massaging him. They chatted a little about Emily and Jeff and some light-heated matters while Michelle conditioned and rinsed his hair. Now came the hard part of getting him out. Michelle came back around to the side of his bad ankle and Tony hoisted himself back up onto the ledge while Michelle held his foot again. Once he was seated Michelle wrapped a towel around him and he started to dry himself.  
  
"What would you like to put on now Tony? Where will I find stuff?"  
  
"Umm, well I'll need dry boxers which are in the top drawer of the cabinet on the left and then I guess some shorts which will be a couple draws down and t-shirts are hanging in the closet. Grab anything you want to wear as well."  
  
Michelle walked into his room and picked him out some shorts and a top. She felt strange going into his underwear drawer, but on the other hand was quite intrigued to see what kind of stuff he had. She found some of those boxer briefs that are like little shorts but are tight and they were navy blue. She thought he would look so sexy in those so she picked them. She took them back into the bathroom. Tony laughed straight away when he saw what she had picked.  
  
"I should have guessed you would have gone for those!!"  
  
"Well they are very nice, besides blue suits you! Now I'll just leave you to get these on – give me a call when you are decent and I'll help you with the rest."  
  
Tony struggled getting out of his wet boxers and into the new ones, he had trouble maneuvering them off his foot. By the time he had just got the blue ones on he felt very sore and worn out. He called for Michelle.  
  
Michelle walked back in to find Tony standing on his one foot, hunched over his crutches with nothing but his boxers on and his hair was standing straight up and all over the place. "Well isn't that an adorable picture!!"  
  
"I need help. That was hard work just to get that done."  
  
"Are you in much pain Tony?"  
  
"Yeah I guess."  
  
"Ok, let's get you dressed and then back out to the couch where you can relax, ok?" Tony leaned on Michelle as he pulled his t-shirt on and then he crutched to his bed and sat on the end. Michelle pulled his shorts up over his ankles and then he stood up and they pulled them all the way up. Michelle then walked with Tony back to his couch and she took a hairbrush with her. She helped him get all-comfy again with his leg out. She sat next to him and combed his hair. Tony could tell she liked doing stuff like that so he played along and let her comb his hair all she liked.  
  
"You know Chelle, as much as I shouldn't say this, but hurting my ankle was pretty much worth it to get all of this extra attention from you." Michelle smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Anytime babe."  
  
Michelle grabbed Tony a beer from the fridge and made sure he had all the TV remotes in reach. "Do you mind if I go and have a quick shower now?"  
  
"Of course, go for it. Do you know where everything is?"  
  
"I think so – do you have everything you need until I am back?"  
  
"Sure do....thanks Chelle, thanks for helping me out so much."  
  
"My pleasure Tony." Chelle left Tony to watch TV whilst she had a shower and got changed into some of his shorts and a t-shirt. She felt so much better now. She grabbed her laptop and headed back out to Tony and joined him on the couch.  
  
"Feel better now? Ahh Chelle you are not doing more work are you? You need to learn how to relax."  
  
"I have to get this finished Tony, and then we can both have a couple days off without Hammond being on our back the whole time. I got heaps done this morning – another few hours or so and I'll have it finished."  
  
They sat on the couch together for a couple hours while Tony watched a movie, helping Michelle whenever he could and she got through as much work as she could handle for the night. Once it hit about 11pm she had had enough, she switched it off and put it away.  
  
"Finally, now how about we have some wine?" Tony asked with a smile.  
  
"Sounds so good....do you have some?"  
  
"Yup, it's in the cupboard." Michelle opened a bottle of red and poured them both a glass and then took the bottle with her back out to Tony. She sat back down next to him.  
  
After they had both had a few sips, Tony set his glass down and then took Michelle's and placed it on the coffee table. He put his around and Michelle and pulled her in closer to him. "I can't tell you how glad I am to have you here like this Chelle. I have to keep reminding myself that this is really happening."  
  
"Me too Tony, it feels so good to be in your arms." Michelle playfully twirled a piece of Tony's hair behind his ear. Tony tried to pull her in even closer, Michelle leaned in and began to kiss his neck, jut as he had done to her before. She started slowly and tenderly and then became a little more passionate as she moved around his ear. Tony kept his head to the one side but after a few minutes started kissing Michelle's cheek. Their hands began to explore one another and before they knew it their lips were locked. The kept this up for a long time, occasionally breaking from the each kiss for a couple of minutes to have some more wine.  
  
Tony looked at Michelle and could see how tired she was. Today had been her first day off in a couple weeks and she had spent it up all night and then chasing around after him. In what spare time she did have she was still working anyways. "Chelle, lets go to my bedroom. I really want you to get some sleep, and that way I can keep you in my arms all night long."  
  
Michelle nodded and then helped Tony up off the couch and down to his room. They both spent a couple minutes getting washed up. Tony slid up onto his bed laying the crutches on the ground next to him. Michelle crawled up into his arms. Tony laid on his back with his arm around Michelle whose head was resting half on his upper chest and shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep sweetie.' He kissed her head again.  
  
They held each other tight all night long.

pls let me know if you want me 2 continue. I totally appreciate the reviews I have been sent - thank you so much for taking the time to do that for me!!


	7. chapter 7

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all of my reviews. I really appreciate all of your support. Thanks for taking the time to write me your thoughts – it makes it so much easier when you know how people feel about your writing so THANK YOU!!

Michelle was wide awake at 4am. She couldn't get back to sleep so she decided she might as well get up and finish the report. She looked over at Tony who was completely out of it, he still hadn't even moved from the position he fell asleep in. As she gently slid out of the bed she couldn't help but think how strange it felt to be at Tony's house in the middle of the night and in his bed. This was something she had wanted for such a long time and it was hard to believe it was actually happening.  
  
Michelle set herself up in the living room and got stuck into the report. By 7:30 she was done. This was all so much easier from home, she had to smile when she thought about how much more work she could actually get done without the distractions of the office. Seeing as Tony was still sound asleep she decided she would drop the report back into work so she and Tony could finally enjoy a couple days break from work.  
  
At the office, Chappelle seemed very grateful that the report had been completed before schedule. He asked how Tony was feeling and mentioned he would give him a call later in the day. Michelle began to feel uncomfortable when Chappelle seemed to keep pushing for information as to what exactly had happened and how come Michelle was with Tony. She knew he was suspicious of the two of them, but she was glad he didn't come straight out and ask her because she wasn't ready to deal with that yet. She double checked that both her and Tony were still cleared for a couple days off and then headed back out to the car.  
  
On the way to Tony's Michelle stopped at her own house and showered and grabbed some clothes. She also stopped and picked up some coffee and bagels for them on the way. By the time she was back at his house it was after 9:30am but Tony was still sound asleep. She toasted the bagels and then took them into him. She put the tray of food by the side of the bed and then sat next to him and began running her hand through his hair. Tony moaned and a little smile crossed his face – slowly his eyes opened and he rolled his head to meet Michelle's gaze.  
  
"You beat me up huh?" As Tony's eye's adjusted a little better he noticed Michelle was dressed in her own clothes, and not the ones she wore yesterday. "How did you change?" He was more than confused at this point.  
  
"I kinda got up hours ago because I couldn't sleep, but good news is I got the report finished and handed in, and then I grabbed some clothes from home."  
  
"Are you serious? What time is it?"  
  
"It's a quarter to ten."  
  
"Chelle, I can't believe you have done all that. What time did you wake up?"  
  
"Close to 4. I just couldn't sleep, my mind was racing so I figured I might as well get things done." Michelle picked up the coffee and held it out for Tony. "Want some breakfast?"  
  
Tony shifted his body up in the bed so he was close to sitting up. "Coffee in bed – wow how lucky am I?!?!" Tony took the coffee and had a couple sips and then put it on the bedside table. He patted the bed on the other side of him, "join me?" Michelle climbed over his body and cuddled up next to him. Tony turned his body in towards hers and put his arm around her so that he was almost lying on top of her yet he was supporting himself up by both of his hands. He leaned in a placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her cheek, his face was still only centimetres from hers. "You must still be so tired. Thank you for finishing the report....I wish you had woken me up so I could have helped you."  
  
Michelle reached up and touched Tony's chest which was covered by his t- shirt. "It's ok Tony – besides now it's done and we both have the next couple days off."  
  
"A couple days off huh!?! I can think of plenty of things we could do over a couple days." Tony gave Michelle a wink and then began to nuzzle into her neck.  
  
"Oh really? Well I hope your thoughts are of resting that ankle of yours." Michelle replied with a seductive smile.  
  
"Not even close to what I was thinking." Tony gave Michelle a wink.  
  
Michelle leaned over Tony and grabbed the bagels and then sat back next to him. "Um, I don't even know if you like bagels....I suck at any form of cooking so I just picked these up." Tony laughed, "I love bagels – thank you so much. I love to cook, maybe I could teach you?!"  
  
"Yeah good luck!!"  
  
Tony brushed his hand over Michelle's. "Awwh, come on – you can't be that bad."  
  
Michelle handed Tony his bagel. "Trust me Tony...I pretty much struggle with toast!"  
  
Tony picked Michelle's hand up and kissed the back of it. "Well then, I look forward to cooking you many a meals!" He kissed her hand again, and then he kissed her wrist and continued right up her arm. Michelle tipped her head shyly and giggled while she intently watched his every move. Without taking her eyes off him she put her coffee down and ran her hand through his hair. He pushed his head into her hand letting her know just how much he liked it, at his reaction she grabbed at his head and hair harder. Tony continued the kissing up her neck to her ear. He took his arm and wrapped it around her body and then cupped her face with his hand whilst still nibbling on her other ear. Unable to wait any longer, Michelle pulled her hand from his hair placing it under his chin so she could lift his face up to hers. Meeting eyes for only a moment before they both pressed lips immediately lunging into a passionate kiss.  
  
Tony had the top half of his body turned into Michelle but his bottom half was out straight for his ankle so he felt a little uncomfortable. He pulled Michelle with his body as he straightened his body out. He was now on his back and Michelle was half sitting leaning over to him. The entire time they did not break the kiss.  
  
Michelle felt like she could do this forever – kissing Tony and being able to be this close to him really made her feel good inside. She was propping her body up with her left arm which was on the other side of Tony so that she wasn't actually lying on top of him. She felt nervous to take her arm away and press her body on top of his. Every time they touched each other in a way they hadn't before, shivers ran through her entire body. This was the longest they had been able to kiss for and the longer they kissed the more intense it became. Michelle wanted more of Tony, she wanted to be as close to him as possible. She felt Tony pick up her hand and pull her body so that she pressed her body against his. They both groaned as their bodies joined, Michelle felt like they fit perfectly together, as if her body was made to fit with his. She felt his hands run up and down her back and side, she used one hand to cling to his t-shirt and the other swapped between his cheek and his hair. The kiss became slow and finally lingered for a few moments before they parted lips and looked each other in the eyes. She loved his eyes, it was so easy to get lost in them, they seemed to say so much. "You have the most beautiful eyes Tony."  
  
Tony couldn't think of a time he felt happier than he did now. "You are so beautiful Chelle." He wanted to say so much more, he had a million things to say to Michelle that he had no idea how to even start. As much as he wanted to tell Michelle just how special she was, he also wanted to not say a word and spend every second kissing her.  
  
"How does your ankle feel?"  
  
Tony tucked a curl behind her ear and pulled her head back down closer to his lips. When their mouths were just an inch apart he spoke, "forget about my ankle." Then he kissed her desperately and felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her moan. The longer they were in embraced, the more confident Tony felt to take things to the next level. He liked being in charge and being able to lead Michelle in their movements.  
  
Michelle loved that Tony was taking control of them. She was so turned on by the fact that he was direct and she could give him what he wanted. He started to pull the back of her shirt up but it had buttons all up the front so it wouldn't go very high up. He began to sit up, continuing to kiss and embrace Michelle until they were both completely sitting up. They broke the kiss and Tony gave her a very seductive look which Michelle returned with a smile. He raised both of his hands to the top of her shirt and began to undo the buttons slowly. Michelle's eye's shifted between his gaze and watching his hands. After he had undone the first 3 buttons he leaned in and tenderly kissed the top of her chest. His lips then began to follow his hands as they continued to unbutton the rest of her shirt. Michelle was breathing very heavily, half because she felt a little nervous that Tony was seeing her in just a bra for the first time but mainly because his touch felt so good. He slipped her shirt off her shoulders and took a moment to study her before kissing her and running his hand across her bra. They both groaned making Tony grip onto her chest even firmer. He breathed her name and followed it with a moan.  
  
Michelle roughly pulled on his shirt, "Tony can you take it off?" She felt extremely inpatient to be able to kiss and run her hands over his bare chest. He pulled his shirt over his head tossing it to the side and then he pulled her body right into his so that their bare skin was pressed against each other. His body was so warm and Michelle loved having his big strong arms around her. She slightly pushed his body back and began to kiss his chest and nipples. Tony leant back a little further and used both of his arms to prop himself up. He just watched Michelle as she moved over his chest and stomach. His eyes would close because it felt so amazing but he kept forcing them open so that he could watch her. Occasionally as she kissed him she would open her eyes and look up at him offering him a very sexy gaze. This drove Tony even crazier and before long he found himself leaning forward a little and wrapping his arms around her back. He unclipped her bra strap and then removed it from her body. Michelle felt herself almost holding her breath as she watched Tony to see his reaction to seeing her naked chest. Tony groaned loudly and then used his mouth and hands to explore her chest. Michelle moaned and said his name out loud a couple times over, and then she began to passionately kiss his neck and ear.  
  
Tony continued kissing Michelle as he spoke, almost as if he was talking to himself. "I love your body, God it feels so good to touch you."  
  
Michelle stopped kissing his neck and watched Tony as he continued to cup her chest in his hand and use his tongue to explore and massage her. "I love your stomach, your chest, your arms...you are just so sexy."  
  
They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't hear the doorbell ring the first time, but the second chime startled them both. They pulled apart and both scrambled to pull their shirts back on. Michelle handed Tony his crutches and he began to make his way to the door. Michelle took an extra few moments to get straightened out – she wasn't sure if she should follow Tony to the door or hang back in his room. She ended up just standing in the hallway.  
  
Tony opened the door to Jack, who stepped inside as he greeted him. "Tony! What the hell happened? Chappelle told me you actually had surgery on your ankle."  
  
"Umm hi Jack. Yeah, it was just a small op – I'll be fine soon." Tony darted his eyes back to see where Michelle was, he caught her making a dash back into his bedroom. He told Jack he was just going to the bathroom and then went to Michelle.  
  
"You can come out Michelle."  
  
"No way Tony, Jack will freak and I don't want you to get into trouble."  
  
"I'm not going to get into trouble Chelle, especially not by Jack."  
  
"Tony you know CTU is against work place relationships. I don't want to jeopardise your new position as director."  
  
"Chelle, don't worry I will handle work – you are a hell of a lot more important than being director. Come out Chelle, I don't want you having to hide in my bedroom."  
  
"Ok, I'll come out in a few minutes....I feel so nervous, I don't want to be the cause of any hassle for you."  
  
Tony kissed her on the forehead, "You are so sweet. Don't be nervous, just come out when you are ready." Tony had to head back to Jack, he had already been gone longer than he should have.  
  
Jack was sitting on the couch and Tony sat himself on the opposite one. "Tony, do you need a hand?"  
  
"I'm ok thanks Jack. Actually I kind of need to tell you something right now."  
  
"Sure, what's up?"  
  
Tony chose his words carefully knowing full well that Michelle would be able to hear the conversation. He thought he would feel more nervous than he did, but instead he felt proud of what he was about to tell Jack.  
  
"Michelle is here Jack.....she stayed over last night."  
  
Jack instinctively looked around for Michelle. That was the last thing in the world he expected to hear. He noticed a real glow about Tony and it almost felt like a weight had been lifted off his own shoulders. He felt so strongly for Tony for what happened with Nina and since then had just wanted to see him happy. "Wow....how did this happen? How long?"  
  
Tony instantly felt relieved that Jack wasn't angry, it made him excited to see that he looked happy and intrigued. "Since yesterday....it's a long story."  
  
Jack lowered his voice, still unsure of where Michelle was. "Yesterday?!?! Tony was this just like a one night thing?"  
  
"Oh God no Jack! We haven't slept together – it's not like that all. I've had strong feelings for Michelle for a long time and we both kind of expressed our feelings the day CTU got bombed. Chelle was helping me with something when I did my ankle and she totally looked after me Jack. She stayed over last night to help me with everything."  
  
Jack was still a little confused, "So are you guys like together? Have you kissed? What happened at CTU?"  
  
"We both turned to each other that day. We actually kissed then but I freaked and have spent all this time since sorting my shit out. We got together again yesterday and we are totally committed to each other. I'm so happy."  
  
"What did you freak out about? Weren't you sure if this was what you wanted?"  
  
"Totally the opposite. I feel so deeply for her and I just thought there was no way she would feel the same way back. I figured I was going to get hurt. I knew I couldn't just have a fling or something with her and just move on, that would have been too hard. You wouldn't believe the crap I put her through Jack, but eventually after butting heads all night we worked out how much we both cared for each other."  
  
Jack stood up and shook Tony's hand and then sat down again. "I am so happy for you both. This really is great Tony – It feels really good to see you happy and putting what happened with ummm Nina behind you. I know how much she shook your faith in people Tony and its good you can open up to Michelle."  
  
"I know! I can count on and trust Michelle 100%. This is serious Jack.....I have completely fallen for her – she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can't explain how amazing it is to finally be close to her after all this time....I mean I knew she was special the day she joined CTU."  
  
"That is just so awesome Tony. Where is she?"  
  
Tony called Michelle who had already begun to make her way out to the living room. She had fixed herself up in the bathroom so she hadn't heard everything that was said but she had picked up the gist that Jack was happy for them. She still felt incredibly nervous walking out and saying hi to Jack. She noted the grin on Tony's face and Jack had a huge smile.  
  
"Hi Michelle, I hear congratulations is in order!"  
  
"Thanks Jack – are you like ok with this, you know with work and all?"  
  
Tony signalled for Michelle to come and sit with him. She made her way to Tony's arms and snuggled up next to him.  
  
Jack smiled as he watched them together, they really looked good together. He didn't know Michelle really at all, but he had been so grateful and impressed with her on the day of the bomb. She had helped him and stood by him when no-one else would. She seemed exactly like the type of girl he wanted to see Tony with. Plus she was gorgeous – Tony was a lucky guy. "Michelle, I am wrapped for you guys – you look great together. Don't worry about work, it will be fine."  
  
Michelle felt relieved. She knew that Tony and Jack had a special bond and it felt good that he had accepted her. The three of them sat chatting for quite a long time. A basketball game was on soon and Tony and Jack wanted to watch it. When Jack left the room for a minute to take a phone call Tony asked Michelle if she minded that Jack was there. Michelle assured Tony that she was totally happy to hang out with Jack and just relax. About half an hour before the game was to begin Michelle excused herself saying she was going to head to the store quickly to pay a couple bills. She offered to pick up some lunch for them all on her way back. They both asked if she wanted company, but she told them to stay and get ready for the game and that she would be back in no time at all.  
  
As soon as Michelle had left Jack got straight back into it with Tony. "Tony you have done very well for yourself, Michelle is totally hot!"  
  
"I know, she is so stunning! Man Jack she drives me crazy, I can't get enough of her."  
  
"Do you think you guys will....you know....soon?"  
  
Tony was a little embarrassed but at the same time totally excited to be able to chat to someone about Michelle. He was just so happy he felt like he could burst – all he wanted to talk about was Michelle and she was all he could think about. "I'll go at any pace Chelle wants. It's magic Jack, when we are together it's like we can't get enough of each other."  
  
They spent the whole time Michelle was gone discussing her. Just talking to Jack like that made Tony feel so excited for her to get back.  
  
Michelle took care of her bills and then headed to the bottle shop and picked up a pile of beer for Jack and Tony along with some chips and goodies for them to munch on during the game. She then picked up a couple pizzas on her way back to Tony's place.  
  
Jack and Tony hailed Michelle their hero when she returned with beer and chips. She put the pizza on the coffee table and then put a couple of slices on a plate and handed it to Tony so he didn't need to get up. Tony kissed Michelle sweetly on the lips, "Thanks baby - once my foot is better I am going to wait on you hand and foot!"  
  
The boys got completely stuck into the game and Michelle lay on the couch with her head on Tony's lap. She was so tired from lack of sleep and it didn't take long before she had fallen fast asleep. Tony stroked her hair and planted kisses on her head every few minutes. 


	8. chapter 8

The doorbell rang again about half way through the game and Jack jumped up to answer it. This time it was Chris and Ben who were both good friends of Tony's since they were really young. Jack introduced himself to them and told them to come on in. They were stocked with beer so Chris loaded it in the fridge.  
  
They both went over to shake Tony's hand but stopped when they saw Michelle sound asleep on his lap. Immediately stopping all noise, at the same time they all seems to whisper, 'sorry'.  
  
Tony spoke in his normal voice. "Hi guys, don't worry - Michelle must be a total deep sleeper because she managed to fall asleep with us yelling at the game and hasn't woken since. What you guys doing here?"  
  
Chris and Ben both peered over the couch top to get a better look at Michelle. Ben was the first to speak, "So this is Michelle huh?" He nodded his head and looked at Tony while saying, "nice..." Chris joined in, "Damn Tony how the hell did you manage to get her?" He playfully punched Tony in the shoulder as he chuckled and then he continued. "Don't tell me you forgot? The game is on tonight and it is your turn to host...."  
  
Jack piped in, "Oh shit – I can't believe I nearly forgot about the game."  
  
Chris through Jack another beer as he could see his was low, "You are going to stay and watch with us right? It's good to finally meet you Jack – we have heard lots!"  
  
"Yeah, nice to meet you guys as well. Sure I'll stay if that's cool with you Tony?"  
  
Ben started talking before Tony even had a chance. "What's going on here? Whose crutches? And more importantly.....how after all of this time do you finally have Michelle at your house lying on your lap?"  
  
"Well boys, Michelle and I are together now! I hurt my ankle yesterday and had to have a small operation – Chelle stayed over and looked after me. She has only had a few hours sleep in the last couple days, which is why she is totally passed out now."  
  
"How did you get together? Is your ankle alright?"  
  
"It's such a long story, lets just say lots of crap happened and we both ended up telling each other how much we care for one another. You both know how much I drooled over her before – well....I could've never imagined just how perfect she is. My foot will be sweet, don't worry."  
  
Although Tony was excited to see the guys it wasn't exactly turning out to be the quiet day with Michelle that he had planned. He ran his hand through her hair again – he couldn't believe she hadn't stirred at all. She had rolled her body so that she was facing in towards him, not the TV. He hoped she wouldn't be upset when she woke and found them all there. He felt bad that he had totally forgot about his plans with the guys, with everything that had happened in the last couple days it hadn't crossed his mind at all. He told the guys to pull up a seat and watch the rest of the basketball game. Tony was glad to have Jack meet Chris and Ben and it looked like they were all getting along well – they were already giving each other high fives over the game. Tony opened another beer and they all spent the next 40 minutes cheering on their team. Tony feared Michelle would be horrified when she woke to them all swearing at the TV, burping and basically getting drunk. He was sure that she wouldn't be attracted to this disgusting 'very male' side of him.  
  
He tried to concentrate on the game but his thoughts kept wondering back to this morning with Michelle. He couldn't believe he had been interrupted when he finally had a chance to have time to get closer to Michelle. He knew Michelle had been nervous when he had removed her top and bra – if only she could know just how attracted he was to her. She turned him on in a way he didn't think possible. He liked that Michelle had been nervous; it showed him that she really cared. It was a lot more important to him though, that she felt comfortable with him. He thought he would have been really nervous himself, but when he had found himself that close to her he felt so excited – all he was thinking about was being as close to her as possible and making her feel good.  
  
The guys snapped him out of his train of thought with yelling at the TV. He hadn't even realised, but as he was thinking he had begun to run his hand up and down the side of her body. His ankle hurt like hell and felt very swollen. He gulped at his beer hoping that would help the pain a little.  
  
Michelle felt herself slowly coming to. She had to think for a second where she was but was totally thrown off by all of the extra voices in the room. She opened her eyes to Tony's stomach which was slowly rising up and down with his breathing. She felt his hand running up and down her body and it felt so good. She moved her hand and rubbed it on his stomach a little to let him know she was awake. She rolled her head to the side so that she could look up at Tony, who was now looking down on her with a huge smile on his face. Before speaking he leant down and planted a sweet and gentle kiss on her lips. "Hey sweetie, did we wake you – do you want to keep sleeping?"  
  
"You didn't wake me at all.....what's going on?"  
  
Tony leant in closer to Michelle and spoke in a soft voice that only she could hear. "A couple friends, Ben and Chris came over – I had completely forgotten I was hosting them for the football game that's on soon.....I am so sorry Chelle."  
  
"Don't be sorry, do you want me to go so that you can have time with your friends?"  
  
Tony kissed her cheek, "No, don't go. I want you to stay with me – I'll introduce you..."  
  
Michelle sat up rubbing her face trying to wake up a little better - she couldn't believe she was meeting his friends like this. Tony introduced Michelle to Ben and Chris and they both stood up and shook her hand, telling her how nice it was to finally meet her.  
  
"Nice to meet you guys as well. I am so sorry you had to meet me like this, my hair must be everywhere!!" Ben laughed, "Trust me, you look better then the rest of us put together. I hope we didn't wake you, we have been kinda loud."  
  
Michelle smiled, Tony's friends seemed so sweet. "You didn't wake me at all – I can sleep through anything when I am that tired." Michelle surveyed the room and saw beer bottles everywhere, she could also smell it on Tony's breath and see it in his eyes that he had been drinking. "Wow....I see you guys have put in a nice effort with the beer!"  
  
Tony spoke up straight away, "Ummm yeah, we usually make a mess of ourselves when we watch a game. We will try and not be disgusting for you...."  
  
Michelle cut him off, "Oh guys, don't do anything different for my sake. Not much freaks me out – just have fun."  
  
Jack walked past Michelle on his way to the kitchen for more drinks and patted her shoulder, "You might regret saying that Chelle – Tony can be quite the disgusting male when he wants to be." Jack kept walking laughing to himself. Michelle turned to Tony who was mock laughing back at Jack. "I love a guy who is a real mans man and enjoys letting loose and just having fun with his buddies." She gave Tony a wink.  
  
Michelle excused herself and went to freshen up. She had to laugh to herself when she heard them from the bathroom all swearing at the umpire of the game. She hadn't heard Tony be that loud before, but she thought it was totally adorable. She had seen such a vulnerable and insecure side of Tony in the last couple days that it felt good to see him with confidence in himself – back to the assertive leader he was most of the time. She felt so deeply for both sides of Tony – he was such a gentleman and could be so sweet and sensitive but he was also the protective, tough male. She loved that he was a leader, a natural person to be in charge. This morning she had been completely turned on by his confidence with her and his smooth way of taking charge.  
  
Michelle walked back to the boys and started looking at Tony's ankle. "Tony, it is very swollen, how does it feel?"  
  
"It's really sore actually. I'm going to take a couple of the tablets the doctor gave me."  
  
Michelle was kneeling next to Tony, she took his hand in hers. "Sweetie, you can't take any tablets at all because you have been drinking."  
  
"Are you serious? How come?"  
  
"It increases the affects heaps, especially as it is prescription – but also you just can't mix some tablets with alcohol because it can be really dangerous."  
  
Tony looked like he was pouting. He stuck out his bottom lip and totally played up to Michelle for some special attention. "But it hurts.....I guess I will have to keep drinking lots more alcohol then."  
  
Michelle traced her thumb across his bottom lip pushing it back into place. "Well there is a couple things we can do that might help as well. Would you like me to get you another beer babe?" Michelle could tell that Tony was tipsy.  
  
"Yes please."  
  
Michelle asked who else wanted another drink and then headed into the kitchen. Tony jumped up and crutched his way to the kitchen as fast as he could. He felt a little unco on them because of the drink.  
  
Michelle closed the fridge door and was startled to see Tony coming towards her with a very cheeky grin on his face. "What are you doing up? You are meant to ask me if you need something."  
  
Tony got close enough to Michelle so that their bodies were only inches apart. She had backed up and was leaning against the cupboard, he stood his crutches next to the wall and then took the drinks from Michelle's hand and put them on the counter. "But what I need Chelle, is you." He put one hand on her stomach and the other on her cheek and then leant in and began to kiss her passionately. He had completely taken her by surprise and she loved that. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and let it wrestle with his. She put one hand on the back of his neck grabbing at his hair and had the other on his chest. His hand that was on her stomach crept under her shirt and began to move over her bare skin. The kiss became more intense and heated so that sometimes their mouths didn't completely line up and they would wind up kissing each other on the cheek or chin as well. This only created more passion and lust between them and they both found themselves having to really refrain from groaning or making any noise. Tony moved his hand on her stomach further up her body and then forcefully pressed his lower body against hers. His body felt so good against hers and the way he was holding onto her made her break the kiss to catch her breath. They both kept pressing their bodies against each other roughly, and held each other's gaze. They both were so focused on watching the other one's face for any reaction to their touch.  
  
Michelle found herself running her hands over Tony's backside and grabbing it almost before she realised what she was doing. A sigh escaped his mouth when she did this. He didn't take her bra off but he pushed it up so he could massage her naked skin. Within seconds of doing this his other hand slid up her top as well and he leaned back in to begin the kiss again. It was even more passionate this time, more than it had ever been before. This continued for awhile as their hands massaged and explored one another. Eventually Michelle broke the kiss and pulled back, "We'd better stop before we get busted."  
  
"Ok.....God I wish I could just have you all to myself without worrying about being caught or interrupted." He pulled his hands out from under her top and cupped her face. "You drive me crazy Chelle – it's very hard for me to keep my hands off you."  
  
"Same here Tony, all I've thought about all day was you know....us on your bed this morning. You feel so good Tony,, so so good. Shivers race through my body at your touch."  
  
Tony tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled. "Really Chelle, you get shivers when I touch you?"  
  
"Tony I've wanted to feel your hands on my body for such a long time. Your arms are just so muscly and strong and your hands....God your hands Tony.....they are perfect.. I just feel so special when our bodies are pressed so close against each other and we are kissing – it's like there is no one else in the world except us."  
  
"Aww Chelle when I am with you I get so lost in you that it is like there is nothing else around us. Your body fits perfect with mine Chelle.....like we were made for each other...."  
  
Jack wondered into the kitchen giving both of them a bit of a fright. Fortunately by now they were just standing close but that's it. Jack had a huge smile spread across his face, "Sorry to interrupt guys."  
  
Tony grabbed his crutches, "You are not interrupting Jack as much as you would have liked to." Jack playfully punched Tony in the arm and then grabbed the beers from the counter and headed back out.  
  
"You should go back out with your friends Tony – I've got to straighten myself out, who knows what you have managed to do with my bra....it's twisted everywhere."  
  
Tony gave Michelle a cheeky smile. "Sorry, next time it will just have to come completely off!! By the way Chelle I forgot to mention before just how unbelievably sexy I find you." He kissed her on the forehead and then began to crutch back out to the living room. Michelle stood without moving for a minute just soaking in how good she felt. She was so happy.....she started to straighten herself out. 


	9. chapter 9

Jack watched Tony come back into the room with a big smile on his face. It was so obvious why he was smiling. "Tony, from the look on your face I know that if I had come into the kitchen 5 minutes earlier I would have busted you getting lucky!!"  
  
Ben and Chris spun around. Ben got in before Tony had a chance to respond. "Go Tony! So what exactly were you two getting up too?"  
  
Tony could feel his face going red and burning up. As individuals these guys would never stop hounding Tony if they wanted information so he knew to have the 3 of them together was going to be trouble. He'd never get away with being quiet on details. He hoped Michelle couldn't hear all this.  
  
"Nothing guys. We were just talking – really!" He knew he had no hope, but it was worth a go.  
  
Jack laughed out loud. "Nice try Almeida! Care to explain why you have lipstick on your cheek then and why Michelle's hair was messy and her top was completely twisted?"  
  
Jack was standing now and he had the most cheeky grin on his face. Chris got up and folded his arms and stood next to Jack, "Yes Almeida, please explain."  
  
Tony checked to see if the kitchen door was still closed, which it was. Being drunk was making all of this a hell of a lot easier. "Fine, fine we were kissing, satisfied? – we were kissing."  
  
Ben answered for the three of them, "So not even close to being satisfied Tony – how lame are you? We want all the details."  
  
They all laughed. Tony was nodding as if to say he would fill them in. "Alright I'll tell you but I'm going to need another beer." Chris grabbed one of the table and passed it over, he even opened it for him – flashing a huge grin to Tony.  
  
"Ok, but you guys need to get women of your own so you don't get so excited over my love life."  
  
Chris patted Tony on the shoulder, "Good on ya Tony. You are usually the worst when it comes to details. Besides you so know that you totally want to tell us and brag about how gorgeous she is."  
  
"Well I can't deny any of that." Tony laughed and chugged on his beer. "I told Chelle I wanted her and then backed her up against the cupboard. I was trying to take off from where we got interrupted by Jack this morning." Tony flashed Jack a smile.  
  
"Oh my God – are you serious....I had no idea!"  
  
"What can I say Jack - you have very poor timing. Anyways, our bodies were pressed up against each other and we were just going crazy with our kissing. Our hands were exploring each other and I could so tell she was very turned on......"  
  
Michelle had been on the other side of the door and heard everything that had been said. It was hard keeping her laughter quiet as she listened to their drunken conversation. She decided she would freak them out by walking out and adding something to the discussion - after hearing Tony say he could tell she was very turned on, she figured now was the perfect time to enter.  
  
She pushed the door open and walked out with a huge smile on her face. The room fell completely silent and they all stood staring at her with their mouths hanging open. "Of course I was turned on Tony......I mean, how could I not be with your beautiful face and handsome body pressed up against mine?"  
  
The guys started laughing, and Tony looked like he was going to die of embarrassment. He had totally been bragging about her and she called him on it. She didn't look mad at all, in fact she looked like she found the whole thing very amusing. He had no idea what to say or do, all he could think was to apolagise.  
  
"I'm drunk. I am sorry Chelle, they were bugging me and I just couldn't help myself – I was so just about to say how much I was turned on as well.....Oh God, I'm drunk....I say so much when I am drunk." The room stayed silent as none of the guys knew what to do or say. They were all just staring at Michelle waiting to see her reaction.  
  
Michelle thought Tony was adorable – especially when he had said 'I say so much when I am drunk' – she thought that was so cute! She decided to have more fun with the situation and say something that would totally surprise them all.  
  
A cheeky grin appeared across her face, "That is totally fine sweetheart – I don't mind at all if you tell these guys about us." Michelle walked over to Tony and reached her hands up to cup his face, "You are so georgeous and I love that you say too much when you are drunk." She dropped her hands and took a couple steps back. She had them all hanging on to every word that came out of her mouth.  
  
She started again. "But if you guys are going to talk – you gotta make sure you give all the details sweetie. Now, as you said, I was totally turned on but we really should mention why..." She turned her head slightly so she was sort of looking at Jack, Chris and Ben who looked like they were on cloud nine and completely intrigued as to what she was going to say to them. "Tony had both his hands up my top, and when my bra got in the way he pushed it up too – completely twisting it by the way! He then pressed his lower body roughly into mine. His body felt so good and his hands....they felt incredible and were driving me crazy – I couldn't concentrate on kissing as well so I had to stop and watch his face, I was just soaking in how good he was making me feel. I had to touch his body and so I ran my hands all over his chest, and back before I grabbed his arse. He groaned, which I love by the way, and started kissing me again. After a couple minutes we pulled apart because we got worried that we might get busted!" Michelle started to head out of the room, "so boys that was all the details for you." She took one last glance before she left – they were stunned.  
  
Michelle was truly the sexiest, most amazing woman Tony had ever met. Her sense of humour was so great and she made him feel like his entire body was laughing inside and out. She had turned him on so much with her little speech that he kept trying to reply her words over and over in his head. He loved hearing how much she loved having his hands up her top – that was something that he had done for himself. Her body drove him wild and he just had to touch and hold her. After spending a year watching her in tight tops with low neck lines and having to settle for only being able to see what-ever clevage she had decided to share each day - it was so exciting that he could experience and explore now himself. All he could think about was grabbing her, pushing himself up against her and groaning in her ear.  
  
Ben, Chris and Jack were so impressed with Michelle. A lot of girls would have gotten so angry hearing their boyfriend discussing and bragging about her, instead Michelle was able to join in, freak them out for her own amusement and still make her man look like he was the worlds most amazing lover. Jack patted Tony on the shoulder, "I'll give you some advice Tony – don't ever lose that woman. She is the best thing that has ever happened to you, no one else would ever be able to compare to her." Tony nodded in agreement as Jack spoke. Then Ben put his 2 cents in.  
  
"You are such a lucky guy. She is gorgeous and has a killer personality. I agree – never let her go." Chris was next, "That was such a classic – how funny does she wanna be!?! Most girls would be so pissed – I can't believe how cool she was. She even painted you in a damn good light as well. I say we all drink to that!"  
  
Tony chugged on his beer again. "What can I say!?.....I am so in love with her."  
  
Tony told them he would be back soon, he just wanted to go to Michelle. They made themselves comfy again on the couches and got back into the game.  
  
Tony crutched his way to his bedroom, he saw Michelle was standing out on his little balcony. He leant his crutches against the wall and slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her in close so that her back was pressed firmly into his chest. She covered his hands with hers. Tony kissed her neck and then spoke into her ear. "Do you have any idea just how amazing and special you are?"  
  
Michelle giggled. He continued, "The guys are so impressed, they think the absolute world of you. What you did was just so funny and you completely put all of us back into place."  
  
"Someone had too – you guys were just so funny in your drunken conversation, I just couldn't let the opportunity slip by."  
  
Tony turned Michelle around so she was facing him. He traced her cheek with his thumb and ran his other hand through her hair. "So you liked having my body pressed into yours did you?" Michelle smiled and nodded her head. Tony hopped a step to the side to get out of the door way and then pulled Michelle to move to the side as well. When she did, he was now able to push her body up against the wall behind her. He firmly pressed his body into hers and then spoke again, "And you thought my hands were incredible huh?" Michelle bit her bottom lip nervously and smiled. "Yes."  
  
He watched her face intently and at the same time put his hands under her shirt and behind her back, he then unclipped her bra strap. He winked at Michelle and she ran her tongue across her lips. He had her help him pull the bra though her sleeve. Tony put his hands on the bottom of her top and slowly lifted it right up. He heard her take a huge nervous gasp of air and hold it in. He whispered into her ear, "Don't be nervous Chelle, I love your body so much, it's perfect. Every day for at least the last year I have had to imagine what it would be like to be able to do this to you and I can't tell you how turned on I am to finally be able to really touch you."  
  
Michelle smiled and then put her hand on the top of his head and pushed it down to her chest. Tony also smiled as he let her hand guide his head to her chest. Once close enough he kissed her body using his tongue. His hands were playfully rough as they moved over her chest. Michelle could hear him breathing heavily, and then his mouth would make sucking noises as he kissed her and every few moments a moan would escape. She held onto his head with her hands. He was sending shivers all over her body and she felt weak at her knees. She lent her head back against the wall, closed her eyes and repeated his name over. After a few minutes he raised his head and bought his body in close to hers again.  
  
"Chelle, you loved hearing me groan right?"  
  
"That turned me on so much."  
  
He took her hands and put them on his own back side. They both smiled and giggled a little at each other. Staying with Tony's theme of being playfully rough and firm, she clenched both her hands hard. He let out a loud breath. She firmly ran her hands up and down his sides and then Michelle ran her hands under his shirt all over his stomach and chest. His mouth was wide open and she knew he was trying to keep quiet. "You won't be able to keep quiet with what I am going to do next Tony." He looked intrigued, "Really? I'm pretty good at controlling myself you know..." Michelle smiled a cheeky grin, "we will see..."  
  
Michelle put her left arm up around his neck and then separated herself a tiny bit from Tony creating some space between them. His eyes darted back and forth between her free hand and her lips totally unsure of what her next move would be. "Close your eyes Tony." He did as he was asked. Michelle put her right hand between his legs on the inside of his thighs and then ran her hand with a little bit of pressure all the way up and then over his groin all the way to his belly button where she then turned her hand around and ran it back down and inside of the top of his pants. As her hand ran over his groin Tony let out a loud groan followed by him sucking in his breath. When her hand went back down and he felt it inside his pants he groaned twice. She kept her hand just inside the top of his pants and gently stroked his skin with her thumb. His voice almost sounded a little shaky, "Oh my God, you win. That's teasing me, which by the way you can do as often as you like."  
  
Michelle took her hand and put it on his chest. "Next time I'll do more than tease you."  
  
He smiled, "Is that a promise, I love the idea of you following through with that."  
  
They both leaned in and began to kiss each other passionately. He pressed his body back up against hers and she ever so slightly swayed her hips from side to side, making him become completely lost in her. He said her name and then ran his hand back up under her top. They stood embraced with each other and kissed for another few minutes. Eventually Michelle pulled back, "Babe, you should get back to your friends."  
  
"I know your right...I just want to be able to have time with you without having to worry about other people."  
  
"We will have time later tonight after the football game."  
  
"You are staying again tonight right Chelle? Please say you will stay with me."  
  
"Of course I'll stay with you, I just have to be around you."  
  
Michelle assured Tony she would be back out in a few minutes. He grabbed his crutches and made his way back out to his friends. As soon as he had made it onto the couch he was thrown a new beer.  
  



	10. chapter 10

Michelle took a few minutes to call a couple friends and catch up on what was going on. The entire time she could hear they guys yelling and mucking around. As she walked down the hall to the living room she found them playing baseball with beer cans and crutches. Tony was sitting on the couch throwing cans to Chris who was hitting them with a crutch as a bat and Ben and Jack were trying to catch. Michelle stood in the doorway laughing, she had never seen Tony letting loose this much.

They stopped when they saw her. "If only the rest of the CTU staff could see you boys now."

Tony patted the spot on the couch next to him, "Don't you breathe a word babe, Jack and I have a reputation to keep you know......want a drink?"

"Not right now thanks, maybe later."

Chris handed Michelle the bat, "Want to have a turn? Its fun." Michelle looked at Tony who was telling her to go for it. She thanked Chris, took the bat and got into position. Tony had to throw 4 before she made contact but when she finally did, she belted one straight past Chris and Ben to the hallway. She was very pleased with herself and did a little dance when they all started clapping for her. They played this for the next half hour until the next game they were waiting for started.

They all made themselves comfy on the couch. Michelle could see Tony's foot was quite swollen so she pulled a small table in front of him and put a pillow on top. She helped him lift his foot up on top of the pillow. "If you keep your ankle above your heart it will reduce the swelling, should we put some ice on it?"

Tony loved having Michelle dot on him. He remembered a few months ago when he had a cold, Michelle brought him in some soup to have. She also took him up lots of coffees to his office and gave him some throat lozenges. Even then when they were not an item she fussed over him. She made him feel special and no one had ever done that for him before.

"Tony....."

He realised he had been so busy day dreaming about her that he had completely forgotten to speak. "Sorry Chelle....kinda just off in my own little world."

"What were you thinking about?"

Tony pulled her down onto his lap. "You....I love it when you fuss over me."

"I was just looking after you. Anyone else would do the same babe."

Tony moved his head in closer to hers so no one else would hear. "No one has ever dotted on me the way you do Chelle and I love it. You make me feel special."

She climbed off his lap, bent down and kissed him and then whispered into his ear. "Oh Tony, if only you knew just how special you are to me."

Michelle went to the kitchen and got a bag of frozen pees out and wrapped them in a towel. She took them out and put them on Tony's ankle and told him he needed to keep it on for about 20 minutes. Tony grabbed her hand when she went to leave again.

"Where are you going? Won't you come sit with me?"

"I was going to make dinner for you guys. I will just need to grab a couple things from the store – do you want anything else?"

"Chelle, you don't need to make us anything – just come and relax. We can just get in a pizza or something." Tony managed to slur every single word.

Michelle laughed, "You just ate pizza, and by the sound of you, you need to get something in your stomach before you keep drinking."

"What does that mean....are you suggesting I am drunk?"

Jack, Ben, Chris and Michelle all said "Yes" at the same time. Everybody laughed. Michelle asked if they wanted her to pick up some more drink while she was out. Ben checked the supplies and then they all decided they did need another case. They all offered to go with her but she told them to stay and watch the game.

Michelle got everything at the store and then went into the kitchen to make a lasagne. Jack came in and started chatting to her while she cooked. "Michelle, I wanted you to know how grateful I am to you for everything. The day of the bomb you really stuck by me, even though you didn't know me. You pulled through for me, putting yourself on the line. Now I see how happy you are making Tony.....I've never seen him like this before, I'm so glad you guys worked things out."

Michelle didn't know what to say, she knew Jack was a bit of a tough guy and it would have been hard for him to say that. Lost for words, she gave him a hug which took him a little by surprise at first until he relaxed into it. "Thanks Jack."

Once dinner was ready she took out a pile of plates to the living room along with napkins and beer. She put the lasagne in the middle of the table and told them all to go nuts. Even though Michelle offered to serve his up, Tony stood up and leaned down to help out. He had been sitting for such a long time now and when he stood up all the alcohol went to his head, hitting him like a ton of bricks. He swayed to the side and then just fell straight over. Michelle jumped up in panic but calmed down when she realised he was laughing really hard. Everyone else started laughing and Tony just stayed in the one spot for a few minutes crying with laughter. She helped him back up onto the couch and then handed him some food.

They all demolished the food off in no time at all and gave Michelle a kiss on the cheek for her effort. Michelle grabbed a blanket and relaxed back into the couch next to Tony. She covered them both with the blanket and began to watch the game. Tony was pretty drunk now and was babbling non-stop. Half the time Michelle had no idea what he was talking about, and his words were slurred making it even harder for her to keep up with him. She kept laughing at him and he would ask why, when she explained it was because of how he was talking and what he was saying he would claim he wasn't drunk at all. This happened 3 times in the space of 30 minutes.

Michelle was having so much fun hanging out with Tony and his friends. Just watching and listening to him babble made her feel so happy. The more time she spent with him, and the more she learned about him just made her fall for him even more. She watched his hand disappear under the blanket and then she felt it find a resting spot on her leg. It bought a little smile to her face. His hand didn't stay there long before it started making its way up her leg. She looked over at him and he gave her a very cheeky smile and a wink. He picked her hand up and put it on his own leg, he took his hand away but then bought it back, moved her hand a up a little higher before putting his own hand back on her leg. She ran her hand up and down his leg. It felt so good, he had shorts on so she could actually touch his skin at some points. He had such strong, muscly legs and she loved exploring them.

Tony's hand was getting more and more adventurous and had now made its way under her shirt to her stomach. His hand was so warm and he just traced his fingers softly over her skin. He leaned in closer to her, "Chelle, won't you have a drink with us....please?

"I'm not really a beer drinker, sorry babe."

Tony took her hand, "that's ok because I have just about any other kind of drink you could want. Here follow me.." He stood up and Michelle followed him as he started crutching his way over to 2 huge cabinets that was in a spare bedroom. He opened one up to display just about every spirit possible and then the next one was all wines.

"Wow Tony, this is enough to last you 5 life times over!"

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I've been collecting for a long time. Don't think I drink all the time, I just like being able to offer people whatever they want.....what do you feel like?"

"Red wine would be perfect, but you pick one I wouldn't know which one I can have."

Tony kissed her ear, "You, beautiful....can have any one you want." He hopped over and picked out a bottle and showed it to Michelle. "This one is really good."

Michelle looked at the bottle, "Tony – it's 10 years old! I can't drink that, it would be worth a fortune."

"Who cares, they are all old. Please just have this one, I know you will love it. Plus I have like 4 or 5 of these so if you want more you can!" He handed her the bottle and then took a step in closer to her so their bodies were only inches apart. He tucked one of her curls behind her ear, "Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?"

Michelle pushed him lightly in the chest. "Yeah right." She shyly dropped her head a little, she wasn't use to people paying her compliments like that.

Tony could see that he had embarrassed her. He put his hand on her chin and lifted her head so he could look into her eyes. "Don't be shy Chelle. I have to keep asking myself how I could be so lucky as to have you in my life. I am just so attracted to you, you are the most beautiful woman in the world – come here..." He moved his hand to her cheek and then kissed her softly. She put her free hand around his neck and played with his hair.

She pulled back, "Thanks Tony. You are the most handsome and adorable man I've ever met. I just can't believe after all this time we are actually here like this, kissing. I just never thought it would happen."

"Believe me, I never thought I'd ever have you. I mean everyday I would wonder what you were going to wear to work, or how you were going to have your hair. I would take the long way to IC just so I could go past your desk. I remember feeling so jealous when Stevens got to team up with you on the Linton Task because he got to spend so much extra time with you."

Michelle giggled. "If only we both knew huh! Every morning I got dressed with you in mind. Once you told me you thought I looked nice in blue – that night I went out and bought 3 blue tops! I always went and asked you a question in person that I could have easily done over the phone. I was always so scared though, that one of these days you would just come in and tell me that you had found someone – It would have broken my heart."

Tony massaged her cheek with his thumb. "Honey, I haven't looked at another girl since the moment I met you – there was no point because I knew you were the one my heart really wanted."

They kissed tenderly again and then headed back out to the other guys. Michelle grabbed a glass and Tony opened the bottle and poured her a glass. All of the guys started on their next round of beer. They spent the next hour watching the rest of the game. Afterwards they all sat around drinking and chatting for awhile. Michelle managed to make her way through the entire bottle of wine and was more than on her way. By 10pm the guys were ready to leave. They all had to leave their cars at Tony's and catch cabs home. As Tony got up to say goodbye to them he spilt a full beer all over himself. It gave everyone a good laugh, his front was completely saturated. They saw the guys off and then Michelle turned to Tony, "well, it looks like you need a bath."

Tony gave her a cheeky grin and nodded his head. Michelle started walking towards the bathroom, "I bet you did that on purpose Almeida just so I would have to strip and bathe you again."

Tony was crutching very slowly, it is a lot harder to do when you are drunk. Michelle had already started the water and gotten towels out by the time he got to the bedroom. He sat on the bed and put his arms out. "Undress me woman!" They both laughed and Michelle stumbled over to him.

She began unbuttoning his shirt, which proved to be very difficult in her state. "Tony, why is your shirt so hard to take off?" He laughed and tried himself but wasn't much better. In the end he just pulled it over his head and Michelle went into the bathroom and turned the water off before returning to Tony. She started to kiss his chest passionately, she gently nibbled on his nipples and licked the beer off his stomach. "You know I must really like you to be licking beer off you." Tony kept watching her kiss him. "I really appreciate it – I'd be happy to pour beer all over you and lick it off." Michelle gave him a very seductive smile and then sucked even harder on his nipples.

He started to slowly lie back so she would have to get on the bed as well. She crawled up next to him. As soon as she was on the bed Tony pulled her down on to her back. He rolled over himself and lay on his side next to her propping himself up by his elbow. They both just looked at each other for a few moments soaking in the fact that they were actually there with one another. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips, he pulled back keeping his face only inches from hers and looked into her eyes. All of the lust from wanting each other for so long finally exploded and they pulled each other into a passionate embrace. Their tongues roughly explored each other mouths and their hands grabbed at whatever body part they could reach.

Michelle couldn't believe what an amazing kisser Tony was. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her hands were running through his hair and then across his back. She hoped she wasn't pressing too hard with her hands but she almost couldn't help it. She wanted him so much and he had her so riled up that it was impossible for her to be gentle in her touch. Her worry disappeared when she felt his hand firmly run up and down her entire body. He pulled back from the kiss, they were both panting for air. "Sit up Chelle." The tone in his voice was different from normal, it had an urgent desire too it. She sat up with him unsure of what his next move would be. He had her hold her hands up into the air and then he pulled her top off over her head. This time around she didn't feel as nervous and was able to relax into it more. He started to run his hand across her bra but she stopped his hand, he looked at her wondering if he had done something wrong. She unclipped her bra and took it off for him. Tony's eyes lit up and he lunged at her. Michelle felt pleased with herself for having the courage to do that. Usually she felt so shy in bed, but it was different with Tony because he made her feel so comfortable. The bottle of wine was helping too.

Tony pushed her down on her back and then laid his own body down on top of hers. Feeling the weight of his body on hers and looking up into his eyes just made her melt. He kissed her all over the neck and then moved to her mouth. He started sliding his body down hers, kissing her all the way. He undid her pants and then in one fluid motion he slipped them right off her body. Left in just her underwear she watched him stare and take in her whole body for a moment before he lay beside her and they started kissing again. His hand slipped across her body as they kissed and he pulled back to watch her reaction as he slipped his hand inside her underwear. His name escaped her mouth loudly making him groan. He whispered into her ear, "Do you feel good?" She quickly kissed him passionately, "So good Tony....don't stop."

He continued and the kept kissing each other. Tony got Michelle so worked up that she pushed him down onto his back then threw one leg over the other side of his body and sat on him. His mouth was wide open, so turned on by her taking over control of the situation. He pushed his finger into her mouth and watched as she sucked on it. His whole body tingled as she rolled her tongue around his finger and then moved it in and out of her mouth. His breathing was getting shorter and faster. "Oh my God Chelle...." He didn't even really know he had said anything he was just so lost in her. She took his finger out of her mouth, got off him and then pulled his shorts and boxers off throwing them to the floor. He eagerly watched her every move and his heart started to race as she took all of him into her mouth. She seductively looked up at him making him loudly groan. He couldn't believe how good she was making him feel. He was more turned on than he had ever been. He held her head and hair with his hands and breathed her name.

Once he had climaxed Michelle climbed back on top of him and kept kissing his neck. He rolled her over so that he was on top of her, they pressed their bodies together as close as they could. As much as Tony wanted to sleep with Michelle, he didn't want to push her or rush things. Fuelled with alcohol and with their passion for each other so intense it was making it so hard for either of them to slow things down.

She could feel how hard he was again and being this close to him felt so good she never wanted it to end. She wanted to sleep with him more than ever but she really didn't want to rush things with him. She also didn't want to be drunk the first time she slept with Tony because she knew how special it was going to be. None of these thoughts made it any easier to pull away. She felt so good and she wanted him so much.

At exactly the same time they both reached down on opposite sides and grabbed the top of her underwear. They both started to pull them down frantically. Tony sat up and slid them off the rest of the way. Tony kissed her thighs and then crawled up next to her. She pushed her tongue inside his mouth and they kissed passionately. Their hands ran all over their bodies and they both groaned loudly.

Tony nervously broke the kiss and lifted his head. "Is this what you want Chelle?"

Michelle didn't really know how to answer that, she wanted it so much, but she knew she should wait at least until they weren't drunk. Michelle's hesitation to answer told Tony she wasn't ready. There was no way he wanted her to feel like he was pushing her. Before she answered, he spoke again.

"Chelle, that's ok – it's more than ok. I don't want to rush you."

Michelle felt relieved. "You have no idea how much I want too Tony....I just want it to be so perfect and I don't want to be drunk the first time. Are you sure you're not disappointed with me?"

Tony ran his hand soothingly across her stomach. "You could never disappointment me beautiful. I 100% agree with you – I don't want to be drunk the first time I sleep with you either. You are so important to me and when it does happen I know just how special it is going to be and I want everything about it to be perfect."

Hearing that Michelle knew how lucky she really was to have found Tony, she couldn't believe how sweet and sensitive he was. She knew he was the one for her. "Almeida, you have no idea just how amazing you are. You are everything I want, you are everything I need and no one has ever made me so happy. I...I would do anything in the world for you. All I want is for you to be as happy as you make me feel. Everything about you is just so adorable."

Tony was so touched. He couldn't help but think back to previous girlfriends. None of them had ever said anything remotely close to what Michelle had just said. He was use to being put down and told how pathetic he was. He had never felt important to anyone. Now here he was with the girl of his dreams and she was speaking these amazing things to him. She made him feel incredible – like he actually counted in this world and was important to someone else. "You, you....you wouldn't believe how much that means to me. You make me feel good about myself, you know....like I am important, like I count, like I really might be able to make you happy. It's hard to believe because I never thought it would happen. I never thought I could be enough for you."

"Sweetheart, it makes me so sad to hear you talk like that. I wish you understood how special you really are. You are important, so important – not just to me but to so many people Tony. I mean everyone at work looks up to you because you are such a good leader, so smart and so good at your job. Everyone thinks you are the nicest guy around and there are certainly tonnes of people who count on you for lots of things. I've spent a year lusting over you, now that we are together all I can think that you are everything and more than I imagined. You are perfect for me.....which is why I have fallen completely in love with you."

Tony was very close to tears listening to Michelle. He was utterly shocked that she had just said he loved him, he wondered if he had heard right. "Did, did you just say that you are....you know....in love with me?"

Michelle smiled and winked at him. "I sure did."

"Wow...God, Michelle I am so in love with you."

Michelle pushed him down onto his back. She kissed him all over his chest and stomach slowly making her way down. Tony closed his eyes and soaked in how amazing her lips felt. His whole body moved involuntarily when she took him into her warm mouth. His hands clenched onto the sheets and he said her name repeatedly. He open his eyes to watch, it drove him crazy to see her doing that to him. He climaxed again and then she moved her body back up the bed and gave him a hug. "Do you think you are ready for that bath now Tony?"

"That felt amazing Chelle, you make me feel so good. The bath sounds great."

The kissed again and then got of the bed and headed into the bathroom....


	11. chapter 11

**Lots of sexual content in this one - hope you like it! For adults**

Michelle wrapped a towel around herself and then she had to put more hot water in the bath to warm it up. Tony sat with a towel covering himself looking at his tiny bathtub. He knew there was no hope of them both fitting in there. "So, I am thinking I am going to have to sell my place and get a new one with a bigger bathtub."

This made Michelle chuckle. "While you're at it, find one with a fire place too."

They both laughed but all either one of them could think about was having a bath together and then getting to lay by a fire afterwards.

It was a lot easier getting him into the tub this time because they knew what to do. Even though she had seen his entire body now he still wore his boxers into the tub. They weren't quite ready to comfortably prance around naked in front of each other yet. It didn't take Tony long to sweet talk Michelle into washing his hair again. It felt so good when she did it that he had decided baths were a better option than showers. She spent a long time doing his hair because she knew how much he loved it, she massaged his head and neck as well.

Once they were done with the bath they headed back into the bedroom. Tony sat on the bed and Michelle pulled him out some clean boxers and then went to grab a t-shirt from his cupboard. She noticed some sketches some done in pencil, others were with colour – Tony Almeida was written across the bottom. She grabbed a t-shirt and the drawings and turned back to Tony who was flicking through channels on the TV.

She held them up. "Did you really draw all these Tony?"

He looked a little embarrassed. "Ummm yeah, pretty stupid hey."

Michelle walked closer to him. "Stupid? You have got to be joking....they are brilliant. I just had no idea how good you were at this kind of stuff. It's a long way from anything at CTU."

"Tony was nodding his head. "That was the point. There is a job going to be a manager at J. Walter Thompson which is one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world. I had been thinking the last few weeks about going for it, but not anymore."

"Why have you changed your mind? Would you be happier doing that then working at CTU?"

"I don't know, I guess with the bomb and being made director just changed things a little. Besides up until like 2 or 3 days ago I had no idea what was happening with us and there was no way I was going to leave and risk my chance of being with you. Would I be happier?! Yeah I would. CTU can be so depressing all the time. I'm sick of people I care about dying all the time just because of the job and the hours are crazy – no time for any kind of personal life. I want to have a family one day and I just couldn't do that in a job like this. This advertising place looked awesome. The job was doing stuff like coming up with ideas for commercials or print work and even some sitcoms. You get to go on the shoots and over see it being put together. Lots of meetings and you would never get bored because you would always be moving on to the next project. The hours are just 9-5 like any job, which would feel like I was working part time to me. I don't know, I guess sometimes I just think that CTU isn't me, it's not the person I want to be – I love the idea of going to work and having a laugh, feeling safe and trying new things – that would suit me a lot better."

Michelle watched Tony's eyes light up as he spoke. She could tell it was something he really wanted. "I think you should go for it Tony, you would be so good at it."

"It's too late now, I was given an interview time for tomorrow at 11, but then I changed my mind. I should actually call them in the morning to let them know I am not coming in."

"Why is it too late? You have tomorrow off work and everything."

"Because you need to submit a collection of your ideas and work. You are meant to put them on the over head projectors and also into a power presentation on a disk that you can go through and show them. It's more a presentation than an interview. I haven't done that stuff before and so I have no clue what to do."

"I do Tony! I totally know how to do that. I can help you – we can get it done tonight and then you can still make your presentation."

"Chelle there is no way I am going to have you waste your time on doing something like that to help me out. I can't believe you even offered. You are so sweet Chelle but it would be so wrong of me to have you help me, especially when they are crap."

Michelle knew this was Tony's biggest insecurity – he didn't believe he deserved to be looked after or cared for. It was upsetting to see that he was so good at something, yet he just couldn't see that. She had barely said his name when he cut her off.

"Tony...."

"I know they are stupid Chelle, I've been told that enough times. It was just a dumb hobby, don't worry about it."

"Who told you that Tony?"

"That doesn't matter, what matters is its true."

Michelle could see that Tony's ankle was sore because he kept rubbing it. She grabbed the pain killers from the counter and a glass of water and went handed them to him. He thanked her a couple times in a row. "Look how defensive you are getting over this Tony, Why? I want to know who said that to you."

"I'm not defensive I just don't see the point in wasting anyone's time with my pathetic hobby. I've already been through all this before, I know they suck and that nobody wants to be bothered with them, so why should I?"

She could see he was starting to get upset. She didn't want to drop it though because she hated him feeling this way. "Tony, where is this coming from? Tell me who it was."

He took a huge breath and lowered his head to the ground. "It was Nina and one of her friends agreed with her. Are we finished with this yet?"

She bent down on the ground in front of him so even though his head was lowered she could see his face. "No, we are not finished. You really need to start learning how much Nina poisoned your mind. She was a bitch Tony and as far as I can see all she did was squash your self-confidence and take total advantage of how sweet and kind you are. She robbed you of being able to have pride in yourself and doing things that make you happy – I am going to change all that. Starting with these drawings."

Tony's voice became a little shaky and quiet. "It's not really a big deal Chelle. I've kinda just gotten use to just handling things on my own and not bothering anyone else with anything. No one else has ever cared how I feel so I guess it just doesn't matter. I mean it's better if people are honest and tell me my drawings suck or else I'd just make a fool of myself."

Michelle stood up and then went to sit on his lap. She moved her right leg over his legs to the other side of his body. Then she sat on his lap and held on to him by his shoulders. He immediately put his arms around her waist. They looked into each other's eyes.

"It's the biggest deal Tony, I wish you could see that. Even though you are use to handling things on your own from now on you have me to lean on. I want you to come to me and talk to me – it would never bother me. I care how you feel Tony, I care more than you could ever imagine, nothing is more important to me than you. You have real talent here and you need to explore it. I can see how your eyes light up when you talk about it, so I know you still love it – you just try and make yourself believe you don't because a couple other people didn't think it was worth caring about. Forget about them though, you have me now and I am telling you I think it is excellent."

Tony smiled, she made him feel so special. It was weird to him that his girlfriend actually cared about something that was so important to him. It felt really nice though. He appreciated how lucky he was to have her.

"Thanks Chelle but it's already 11:30, and I am so tired. I could never get it done in time." He was kicking himself for giving up on all this before, he knew this job would have been perfect for him. As usual Michelle surprised him with her generosity.

"How about you take me through your presentation and tell me what you wanted to do – did you get around to writing out what you wanted to say?"

"Yeah, it's all there – only its hand written and a mess. None of my drawings are presentable and somehow I needed to make one of them into like a comic strip....it's my fault I just left it."

"No it's not your fault Tony. I blame those other people that made you feel like you weren't good enough for this. You just need to get your confidence back so you can realise how good your stuff is. Now come on, let's give this a shot – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain......take me through the presentation."

He rubbed the side of his face. "Are you saying I should still go for it and you will help me?" Michelle nodded her head. "I don't deserve you. What can I do for you? There has to be something I can do to pay you back for this."

Michelle pushed his body backwards so he was lying on the bed and then she crawled up his body and laid on him, supporting her weight with her arms. He was still only in his boxers and Michelle loved pressing her body into his bare stomach and chest. She kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"Tony, you don't do anything to pay me back – that's not how this works. Sweetheart, you are my man and I'd do anything in the world to make you happy. I look at this stuff and see how good it is and then I see in your eyes how much it means to you – it's so important we give this a go."

"You are amazing – you have got me totally pumped now. Thanks Chelle, you have no idea how much this means to me. If you think I can do this kind of job then I'm going to go for it."

Michelle could see how happy he was, his entire face was lit up and his eyes were beaming. "You have the most gorgeous smile babe. I love seeing you happy like this."

Tony reached his hands up and stroked her hair. "You make me so happy, your incredible Chelle." He flipped her over so that she was on her back and he was on top of her. She loved what he had just done, it was so smooth and she really did love his body covering hers.

"You love taking charge hey?"

Tony nodded his head a little and gave her a cheeky smile. "Yeah, I sure do – do you mind?"

"Are you serious?! I love it. I love that you know what you want and that you lead me to get it. Such a turn on."

"Wow.....I had no idea how much you like that. I don't even really think about it, it's just how I am. When I look at you Chelle I immediately know exactly what I want to do to you or with you. I've spent a long time thinking of all the things I wished I could do with you...." He pushed his body into hers firmly.

She slowly moved her hips side to side while lifting her body into his as much as she could. "What do you want now?" She gave him a very seductive look.

Tony groaned quietly but loud enough for Michelle to hear. Just talking about this turned him on. He moved his body so that he was lying next to her on his side, he ran his hand across her waist.

He pushed his lower body against hers, and she could feel how hard he was. They traded smiles. "I want to explore your body with my hands and mouth without clothing getting in my way. I want to see your body Chelle." He helped her sit up and pull her top off and then he reached around her back and unclipped her bra and pulled it off. As he lowered her back down onto her back she shyly bit her lower lip.

He stroked her hair, "Are you shy with me Chelle?"

"Yeah."

"How come? You don't need to be."

"I kinda get nervous because I hope you like my body."

Tony smiled and moved her head by her chin so that they were looking at each other.

"You've got to be kidding me!! Everything about your body is so perfect.. I mean even with the guys here all day, I couldn't keep my hands off you. You Chelle are stunning and you drive me crazy."

She looked like she relaxed a little and she smiled at him. As he spoke, he did what he was saying. "I love sliding my hand and holding you all over, your skin is so soft I could do this forever." He moved up to her chest and held her in his hand. "See Chelle – look how perfect you are, you fit into my hand just right." He spent a couple minutes watching her and continuing to massage her chest. "I want to put you in my mouth and kiss you all over." Tony kept holding her breast as he began to suck and kiss it. She groaned which made him kiss her even harder. She put her hands on his head and ran them through his hair, she began to breathe a little heavier. He lifted his body up and moved back over on top of her. He knelt on his knees in between her legs and then lent forward over her body firmly running his hands all over her. He gave her the most seductive smile and then lent back and undid her pants. Tony stood up off the end of the bed and slid the remainder of her clothes off. He stood and took in her whole naked body for a moment. She felt good knowing that he was looking at her like that. He gently kissed her thighs and then crawled back up her body so he could kiss her passionately on the lips. She pushed her tongue into his and desperately explored his mouth. Both of their bodies were moving and they were pressed together as close as possible. He broke the kiss and whispered into her ear. "I want to make you feel so good...." He began kissing her neck then moved himself down her body kissing her chest and stomach the entire way and then kept going.

Tony was making Michelle feel so good. She couldn't help herself from saying his name repeatedly. He had his hands gripped on her hips and every time she groaned or said his name he would tighten his grip on her, letting her know he loved hearing her talk to him like that. He was making her whole body move around. "Tony.....you feel so good......I'm close." She heard him groan and she said his name loudly in return.

Michelle still couldn't believe she was here like this with Tony. The last 2 days had been like a dream, one that she hoped she wasn't going to wake up from. He was everything she wanted, manly, assertive, confident, good leader, generous, funny, sensitive, sweet and gentle. She wondered how hard it would be at work – seeing him all day but not being allowed to touch him. Would they keep it a secret? No one had ever made her feel as good as Tony. Never had she been with a man who she was so attracted to that she couldn't keep her hands off him.

Tony made Michelle climax. Her entire body flinched, all her muscles tightened, and she said his name loudly. He kissed back up her stomach, chest and then the neck where he had started. "Wow Chelle.......that was amazing."

She kissed his cheek. "Oh my God Tony......I've never....no ones ever.....you made me feel..." They both laughed. She tried again.

"No one has ever made me feel like that Tony. You made me feel so good."

Tony put his hand up to her mouth and traced her lips with his finger. "I loved it when you said my name and told me how you were feeling – you have no idea how much you turn me on."

Michelle caught his finger in her mouth and started to suck on it. "I don't think you finished telling me exactly what you want...."

Tony smiled, he couldn't take his eyes off his finger. "I can think of something I want."

Michelle sucked on his finger harder making him groan. "Really.....what are you thinking of?"

Tony took in a deep breath and then picked up her hand, he moved it very slowly so that he could see her reaction. He took her hand down to his boxers and where she could wrap her hand around him. He was watching her intensely unsure of what she was thinking. She shifted her body so she was on her side and he was flat on his back. "Do you even want to do this Chelle?"

He looked so cute when he was nervous. "Awww Tony, who is shy now?"

They both giggled. "Not really shy, just wanted to make sure this was ok."

Michelle didn't answer him, instead she wrapped her grip around him tighter and began to massage him. She nudged his cheek so his head moved to the side. She spoke softly into his ear. "Do you want me to use my mouth? What ever you want."

Tony wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her in closer to him. "Yes......OH God yes." He kissed her neck.

Michelle passionately kissed him on the lips and down his neck. She kissed his chest while her hands felt his muscles in his arms. Tony loved watching Michelle, especially as she still didn't have any clothes on. He reached his arms out to run his hands across any part of her that he could reach.

He had to throw his head back on the pillow and close his eyes for a moment because she was making him feel unbelievable. He just loved having this kind of special attention from Michelle, no one had ever given him special attention like this before and he was so happy it was coming from her. He opened his eyes and caught her watching him, they locked each other into a gaze. She was making him feel so good that he was having trouble controlling himself – he needed to touch her, hold her. He couldn't stop himself, he lifted his upper body so that he was sitting up. Michelle kept going and he groaned a few times in a row. She was all hunched and curled up over his lap, he put a hand on each side of her body and started to pull her up. "Chelle, I need to kiss you, hold you." She changed her pace making him gasp for air. "God Chelle, you are so good. Come here...." He desperately pulled her body up so she was kneeling on her knees and he could kiss her on the lips. She replaced her mouth with her hand so she could keep going. He kissed her with urgency, covering her mouth roughly with his and firmly running his hands across her chest.

Michelle hadn't seen Tony like this before. Earlier in the night it had been extremely passionate but this was different, he wasn't as controlled as before like he was more relaxed with her and was letting himself get lost in the moment. It was turning her on so much. They barely remembered to come up for air and they both seemed to get more and more worked up by the second. Her words were broken up by her heavy breathing. "Oh my God Tony..:" She was pushing her face into his chest.

He ran his hand down her stomach to the inside of her thigh. He put his other hand behind her head. "Look at me Chelle." They looked each other in the eyes and then studied one another's faces. They were making each other feel so good and they were both breathing so heavy. They were so lost in each other, it was like the rest of the world didn't exist. "You have to kiss me Tony....I need you.." Before she even had finished her sentence he kissed her passionately.

All of a sudden Tony stopped everything, it was like he was frozen still with his mouth wide open. "I'm close Chelle...." Michelle took his hands away from her body and held them as she made him lean down so he was lying on his back again and pinned his hands down as well. He watched as much as he could but again his eyes would close sometimes. When he climaxed he groaned louder than he had ever before and his entire body flinched. He put his arms out in front of him, "Chelle..."

She crawled up his body and lay on top of him. They kissed gently and slowly before falling into a tight hug. Tony went to pull her back but Michelle surprised him, "Can you please keep your arms around me for a bit, please..." Tony put his arm back around her and held her really close. "Are you ok sweetie?"

"Yeah, it's just that, that was so like emotional and full-on........its ok, don't worry, I'm sorry..."

"Hey, hey – don't you dare say you are sorry and I will worry." He rolled them over so that he was now on top and could look into her eyes. "Chelle that was so full-on and emotional that I need to be close to you too." They kissed again very tenderly.

They spent a few moments just looking at each other and soaking the moment in. Both were thinking about everything they had just done and how they would love to continue, they could be with each other all night because all they wanted was each other. Tony pressed his body into hers and she responded by pushing her body up against his. He ran his hand firmly up and down her side and then nudged her cheek to move to the side so he could kiss and suck on her neck. He spoke to her in between kisses. "I can't get enough of you Chelle, I want you so much."

She caught the side of his face and began to kiss him back, "All I want is you." He turned her head back with his hand and pressed his lips against hers pushing his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to her. They kissed passionately.

All of a sudden Michelle pulled back saying 'no'. Tony pulled himself right back, "What's wrong? What have I done?"

Michelle smiled and put her hand on his chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out, you didn't do anything wrong. We can't do this now Tony, we need to get all your stuff organised for your interview in the morning, I forgot."

Tony pouted and moaned, "Awhh do we have too?" He started kissing her neck. "How can you expect me to stop now?"

Michelle kissed him on the lips and smiled. "I'll make it up to you I promise, but we gotta get you ready for this."

"You are too good to me Chelle.......but we should also organise when we can continue this! I'm thinking I'm going to take you to lunch and keep you all to myself for the rest day and night."

Michelle smiled shyly. "You want me to spend the night with you again tomorrow?"

He kissed her on the shoulder and neck. "I want to spend every night with you that you will let me."

"That works for me too because I have no intentions of going without you. Now let's get started."


	12. chapter 12

**Bad language, sexual content and I so don't own any of the characters although I'd like 2!!**

Tony lifted his body off Michelle and sat up beside her. As they both climbed off the bed to put clothes on they continually swapped smiles and flirty glances.

Michelle just didn't think this could be real. She couldn't look at Tony without her heart racing and her legs feeling weak. It seemed that every word he spoke or every action he made, she just fell deeper and deeper for him. He was everything and more she had ever dreamed of having in a partner and it was hard to believe she had found him. She had never before had a sexual experience that was so heated and passionate, they had become so worked up and lost in each other that now that it was over she almost felt a little embarrassed. She watched him pull on a t-shirt and cover his perfect chest, she wondered what was going through his mind. She pulled one of his tops back on and also borrowed a pair of boxer shorts. Neither of them had said a word since they had gotten off the bed but it didn't feel awkward. It was like they both needed a few minutes to compute what had just happened.

Tony rubbed the side of his face. He felt so stupid, but it was like he had to force himself not to grab Michelle and hold her close. He had to give her the space to get ready though, and she wanted them to work out his presentation, which meant any touching or kissing was going to have to be on the back burner for awhile. She was so dear to him that it was hard not to touch her right now. Being together was so new to them that it was hard to concentrate on anything else. When she finished putting on his boxers she stood and looked at him, they looked eyes across the room. He thought he could see that her eyes were becoming watery, like she was about to cry. "Chelle, are you crying?"

Her bottom lip began to quiver a little and she nodded her head.

"Awe sweetheart, what's wrong? Come here." He grabbed the crutches and started to make his way over to her, completely confused as to what was wrong. His stomach felt sick thinking he might have hurt her or said something to upset her. He had barely taken 3 steps when she almost ran straight across the room into his arms. She pushed her face into his chest and held him tighter than she ever had before. Tony returned the powerful hug whilst speaking to her in a soothing voice. "It's ok...I'm here....I've got you, I've got you baby. What's wrong?"

Michelle pulled her face apart enough from his body to be able to talk. She had trouble looking him in the eye though so she kept her head down looking at his t-shirt. "Nothing's wrong.....I'm sorry, I'm being so stupid. It's just 'this' – 'us' – It is so much to take in."

Tony stroked her hair. "You're not being stupid Chelle, I would never think that. What do you mean about 'us' and being so much to take in? Did you expect something else? What do you want me to do?"

Michelle let out a breath of laughter. "No, it's nothing like that. I guess I did expect something else because I never could have imagined just how perfect it is to be with you." Tony's shoulder's immediately dropped as he relaxed and he let out a huge breath he had been holding in without even realizing.

"I feel exactly the same way about you."

Michelle waved her hand in front of her face like she was trying to calm herself down. This was something Tony had never understood about women, he thought it was adorable, but what exactly were they trying to do? Dry the tears? He took her hand away from her face and then used his own thumbs to wipe away the tears.

"I'm sorry Tony, I am just feeling emotional – I don't usually cry at the drop of a bucket. What just happened between us was incredible; I've never been like that with anyone before Tony. I feel like I gave or opened myself up to you and because of that I need you close to me."

Tony pulled Michelle back in and held her tightly. He knew exactly how she felt because that's what he was feeling too. Feeling her cling to him so tightly made him feel so special and needed. He knew how important it was that he do everything possible to make Michelle feel 100% comforted and loved. He wanted her to know how safe she was opening herself up to him emotionally and physically.

"I've never had that with anyone before either Chelle. I doubt I ever could have – what I have with you is all I ever wanted. I could never have this with anyone else because no one is as special to me as you are. What we just experienced together was amazing – I didn't think it was possible to feel that good. It wasn't just about feeling good though, I got lost in you and I became attached to you in a different way. Trust me when I tell you Chelle that being intimate with you like that feels very emotional to me too. Physically and emotionally you are so safe with me."

Tears began to fill her eyes again. "You know you can feel that way with me too right?"

He stroked her hair, "Now I do."

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him in to her so that she could kiss him tenderly. She kissed and sucked on his lower lip and ran her hands through his hair. "I love you Tony."

"I love you Chelle." He kissed her forehead, slowly a few times in a row and then they stood holding each other in silence for a few moments.

Eventually Michelle pulled back, "should we get started?" She looked at her watch and it was nearly 1am. Tony nodded his head and said yes. They kissed softly on the lips before parting. Michelle went and grabbed all of the paperwork.

"Is there anything else you have for all this?"

Tony headed towards one of the drawers in his cupboard. "I've got mountains of stuff in here, lots of slogans and advert ideas and layouts." He produced a huge pile of different papers and put them on the ground next to the rest of his stuff. He started to sort through them while Michelle got her laptop set-up. She joined him on the floor and they spent the next couple hours going through his entire presentation and working out his design plan for each slide. Once they knew exactly how they wanted to put it together there wasn't too much left for Tony to do. Michelle had loads of experience under her belt on how to create these kind of slides, she could make his presentation look incredible. She loved all of his work and just couldn't believe how good he was at all this stuff, he had so much talent and she could see how happy he was even just talking about it. She looked at her watch and it was pushing 3:30am, Tony looked like he was so tired.

"Tony, you should get some sleep, I'll finish this up."

He looked at her almost shocked, "Are you kidding me? As if I am going to go to bed and leave you up working on this for me."

Michelle took her hand in his. "Tony if I am going to be putting them through my programmers now then there is nothing left for you to do. You would just be sitting watching – distracting me no doubt!!"

"Chelle, I'd just feel so guilty to do that. You're so tired and you are still up working on this for me."

Michelle stood up and then pulled on his arm so he would stand up too, she led him over to the bed. She lay on her side on the bed and patted it motioning for him to come lie next to her, which he did. Once he was settled she stroked his hair.

"Sweetie, you have to get as much sleep as possible so that you are really refreshed and full of energy for your presentation – nothing is more important right now than that. I am fine, I promise, I'll get through all this as fast as I can. I can sleep tomorrow anyways. I really want you to go to sleep now though."

"Do you promise to wake me up if there is anything I can do or get you? Even if you just want me to keep you company, you have to wake me, ok?"

Michelle kissed him on the side of his face. "I will, no worries. I forgot to ask you before....what are you going to wear?"

Tony looked at Michelle with a smile, "What do you think I should wear?"

"You look so stunning in your black suit, and then say with a white or blue shirt?"

Tony almost blushed. "Well I guess I'm definitely wearing the black suit and whatever shirt you decide would look best."

Michelle stroked Tony's hair for a few minutes whilst he began to drift off to sleep. She kissed him so softly and gently on his shoulder and he quietly sighed. She slipped off the bed and got stuck back into the work.

Michelle spent hours putting together the presentation making it perfect. She also went through all of Tony's notes that he had written out and typed them all up as well as in point form so he could choose either. She really enjoyed putting it all together for him, she would do anything in the world to help him. She felt so horribly guilty that people had made Tony lose confidence in himself and believe he wasn't good enough to do this. He was clearly more than capable, in fact Michelle thought he would be brilliant in advertising. She also hated that no one had ever gone out of their way for Tony to help him with anything. She was determined at whatever cost to prove to him how wrong they had been, and how worthy he was of being looked after. He really needed to learn that he wasn't responsible for doing everything for other people for absolutely nothing in return. She just wanted him to feel special and understand just how important he was, especially to her.

By the time Michelle was finished and completely happy with the presentation it was nearly 8am. Tony was still fast asleep so she pulled out her favorite blue shirt from his wardrobe and ironed it for him, she then laid the rest of his suit out for him – all he needed to do now was pull it on. She showered and got herself ready for the day. She hooked up her laptop to his computer in the study and printed out his speech cards and then re-arranged all the icons on her laptop to make it look neat. He would be using her laptop to show the slides so she wanted to make sure it looked ok. She raced to the shops down the road and picked up some bagels, muffins and coffee for breakfast. The entire was back to his place she scolded herself for being such a shocking cook. One of these days she would give it a go.

It was time to wake Tony. He would have enough time to shower and get ready, eat breakfast and go through his presentation a few times. He was completely out of it, lying on his stomach. She sat beside him and began to run her hand up and down his bare back. He began to move a little so she kissed him on his lower back a few times and within seconds he had rolled over, eyes wide open smiling at her.

Smiling at Michelle it took Tony a moment to remember what was going on. Finally it dawned on him. "Hey beautiful, I slept so hard, what time did you come to bed?"

"Umm I haven't yet. You need to get up though sweetie and start getting ready."

"Are you serious? You have been working all this time?"

"Yeah, but it's all ready to go. Tony your work is so good, you are going to blow these guys away."

Tony could not believe Michelle had stayed awake all night working on his presentation. It was hard for him to understand how she could possibly do something like that for him. Why would she want to spend so much of her time doing something for him? Thinking back over the last couple days he couldn't believe all the things she had done for him. She had done more for him in that time than anyone had done ever. It made him feel so special and warm inside – something he wasn't use to. He decided that he was going to take her out for a fancy lunch and then dote on her all afternoon.

Michelle was picking up his crutches for him so he slid his body over and went to stand up. He desperately didn't want to have to go to the interview on crutches so he tried to stand up on his foot. At first it felt ok, a little shaky but ok. Michelle was watching him smiling, he went to take a step but as soon as he put all of his body weight on his foot, pain shot through his ankle and up through-out his entire body. It was so brutal, he had never felt anything like it and it completely shocked him. He found his body collapsing under him and before he knew it he was face down on the floor. The piercing pain was so severe he had no idea how he was going to get up, he didn't even want to move. He felt Michelle's hands on his neck and shoulders, "Oh my God Tony, are you ok?"

He winced in pain as he rolled his body over so he was on his back. He felt himself become sweaty and shivery from the pain, he couldn't understand what was going on – it felt better yesterday, in fact he figured it was easily just as bad as when he actually had injured it.

"I guess I'm not ready to walk yet. I can't believe how painful this is."

Michelle could see how much pain he was in just by looking at him, his eyes were huge, his body was shaking and his forehead was sweating. She grabbed some of the painkillers and water. She gave him 3 to take this time and then sat down next to him on the floor. "What can I do Tony?"

"I'll be alright, I just need a minute. Damn I can't believe I have to use the bloody crutches in the interview. What's my fucking problem? I'm supposed to be feeling pretty good with this by now." He was mad and was losing his temper with himself. He didn't want Michelle to think he was taking it out on her though so he took her hand and squeezed it before giving the back of it a kiss.

Michelle told him to keep still for a minute and she let go of his hand and moved down to his ankle. She began to unwrap the bandages so she could have a look at what was going on. It took a couple minutes to unwrap all the gauze and crape that was on. They both sat shocked as she revealed his foot, it was very swollen and all around the stitches and wound was raised and very red. It didn't look right at all.

"Tony, I think your foot is infected!! No wonder you couldn't put your weight on it. Oh baby, it must hurt so much."

Tony nodded and bit his lower lip. "I've got to get up and get ready - especially after all your work I don't care if I am half dead, I am giving that presentation."

"I'll help you, let me just call the doctor though, I'll have to take you in to see him as soon as you are finished with the interview."

Tony gave her a look as if to say thank you for everything. He didn't know where he would be without her right now. Words just didn't seem enough to express to her how glad he was she was with him. "I'm so sorry I am such a pain in the ass Chelle. You shouldn't have to look after me like this, it's not fair. You know I would totally understand if you didn't want too, don't feel like you have to stay."

Michelle kissed him on the head. "Hey, don't be like this. I feel horrible for you, I hate seeing you in pain. I'd never leave you Tony so you can get that thought out of your head. Stop worrying about crap like that, I care about you and I want to be here with you."

Michelle jumped up and went to turn the bath on and then went to phone the doctor. Tony got up and crutched his way into the bathroom. He passed his suit all laid out perfectly on the way and it made him smile. His mind began to wonder about what he could do special for Michelle to show her how much he appreciated her.

Michelle joined Tony back in the bathroom. She certainly wasn't smiling and Tony could tell straight away it wasn't going to be good news.

"I spoke to your doctor Tony. I described how your foot looks and how much pain you are in and he says it completely sounds like it is infected, probably from all the dirt and stick that was inside your foot. He wants us in there as soon as possible and he said you will have to stay overnight so they can put you on a drip for at least 24hours."

Tony sat on the side of the tub. "Bullshit – No way!. I'm not spending the night in there. Chelle I wanted to take you out to dinner, I want time with you. I don't need to spend the night in hospital."

Michelle gave Tony an understanding smile. She understood why he was frustrated, she was too for him. She walked over and cupped his face. "Sweetie, I'll be by your side the entire time. There is all the time in the world for us to go to dinner – let's just concentrate on getting you better ok?"

Tony went to argue with her but she kissed him on the lips to stop him. She could tell how riled up he was by the way he kissed her. His hands griped her body firmly and he forced his tongue passed her lips and explored her mouth intensely. When he pulled his tongue out of her mouth he roughly sucked on her top and bottom lips. Michelle loved it, his kiss was so charged with emotion. As much as she wanted to continue they had to get ready so she pulled back.

"You know, you're kinda cute when you lose your temper!" She gave him a wink and turned to get the bath ready leaving him sitting there dumbfounded by her ability to snap him out of his bad mood instantly.

Once Michelle had him settled in the bath she went to get his breakfast. She had to nuke his coffee. Back in the bathroom she handed him a plate with a muffin and a bagel with his coffee. "Now sit and relax for a few minutes and have your breakfast."

Tony laughed, "You went to the shops again for breakfast!"

"I wasn't kidding when I said I can't cook."

"Thanks Chelle for getting this. I'll make you breakfast and dinner very soon!" He smiled to himself as he munched on his food. Michelle threw her stuff into a bag along with some overnight things for Tony to take to the hospital. Once he was done she helped him out and to get dressed. She wrapped his foot back up for him. She loved seeing Tony in a full suit.

"You look so handsome Tony, I'd give you the job."

He blushed a little. "Wish you were on the hiring committee."

They headed into the study so Tony could go through his presentation. He couldn't believe how amazing it looked. Michelle had put it together better than he could of imagined. "WOW....Chelle I can't believe this.....it's so good. I could never do anything like this. Wow....it's brilliant – thank you. If I get this I am going to owe it all to you."

"It's all your work Tony, I just made it look pretty. I'll leave you alone for a bit so you can sit and go over what you have to say. Is it ok if I make a couple phone calls?"

"Of course! Come get me when you are done."

Michelle turned to leave but before she walked out the door Tony called her name. She spun around, he was watching her with a funny smile on his face. It was like he was studying her intently. "I....I don't deserve you Chelle, I can't say thank you enough."

She gave him a wink and blew him a kiss before she left.

Michelle called her brother to see how he was going and a couple friends. She was done she rounded up Tony and got him into the car.

They spent the drive chatting about lots of different things to try and keep Tony's mind off the interview and getting nervous. He asked her lots of questions about her family and friends. He hoped she would want to introduce him to them. He almost asked but decided not too in the end. He loved hearing about all the people so close to her, she looked so happy when she talked about them.

They pulled into the car park. Michelle was just going to wait in the car for Tony. She helped him out and then gave him a huge hug. "Good luck sweetheart. Just remember to relax and be yourself. You can do this job, we know that – now is your chance to show them. I just know you will be great."

"Thanks. I will be back soon, are you sure you are ok waiting here?"

"Sure am, I am going to have a quick nap."

They kissed and then he made his way inside. They had parked in an underground parking garage so it was pretty dark. The place was almost empty except for 2 cars on the other side of the parking lot. Michelle sat back and closed her eyes and within moments was sound asleep.

Tony slipped quietly back into the passenger seat. Michelle was still asleep and didn't even stir. He thought she looked so beautiful and he took a couple moments to just watch her and take her in. He couldn't believe they had to go the hospital now, he so desperately wanted to take her out and spoil her. He also wanted to be with her so much, the thought of having to wait at least another 24 hours before he would be able to touch her again seemed like torture.

Michelle was wearing a skirt and Tony put his hand on her knee and gently rubbed it. She didn't stir at all still. He turned his body and leaned into her closer. He slowly began to run his hand up her leg gradually making his grip firmer and firmer. As his hand went under her skirt and stroked the inside of her thigh she made a small groan and moved her body a little. Tony looked around to make sure the place was still empty. He had tinted windows and it was so dark in there no one would be able to see into his car anyway.

He moved his hand a little higher and she stirred some more. She slightly began to move her legs apart a little for him, Tony used his hand to push them apart further. He started to kiss her neck and she groaned again, this time opening her eyes a tiny bit and giving him a little smile. She very quietly started to speak. "How did you go sweetie?" He smiled and then kissed her on the lips. Instead of replying he slipped his hand inside her underpants making himself make a loud sigh. She moved her hips in time with his hand and whispered his name repeatedly. He pushed the armrest down with his elbow and slid across the seat so he was pressed right into her body. He made her seat lean back all the way so she was basically lying down.

Tony loved watching Michelle react to his touch. Her eyes kept opening and closing and he could see her clenching up her feet and wiggling her toes. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier and she moved her body from side to side, up and down slightly. He didn't kiss her, he just took her all in. He spoke to her in a voice above a whisper. "Tell me what you like, what you want Michelle."

They locked eyes where all their desires were so easy to see. Michelle's answer was less than a whisper, Tony read her lips. "Harder.....faster...." Her words turned Tony on so much. As he did as she asked she said his name a couple times, each getting louder. Tony had a real thing for hearing Michelle say his name and talk to him as he was pleasuring her. It drove him wild. It also turned him on where they were, it was so exciting being together in a place where people might walk past. He was confident no one could see in anyways but they could see out which only heated up the moment for him even more. He couldn't refrain himself from pulling her top up. His mouth dropped open and his heart began to race as she sat up a little and removed her bra for him. He ran his hand all over her body, kissing the trail he made.

She yelled that she was close making him pick up the pace. As she climaxed she groaned and said his name loudly. He wasn't ready to stop, but neither was she, Michelle firmly ran her hand across his lap. She went to sit up but Tony pushed her back down, "Again..."

Her eyebrows raised and she let out long deep breaths. He sucked on her hips leaving a couple hickeys. Their passion was so intense and once again they had both blocked out the outside world and could only think of each other. Michelle said something that surprised Tony, "I wish I could have all of you." It took a minute for what she had said to sink in. He would have given anything for them to have been at home where he could have for filled her wish. He knew from the way she had said it that she didn't want it to happen there in the car, but if they were at home she was ready and wanted to be with him. Just hearing her say that and knowing he couldn't follow through made him let out a grunt and whine in frustration. He made Michelle climax again by telling her how much he wanted her too. They finally kissed passionately on the lips until Michelle pushed him back by his shoulder. She lowered his chair back and began to undo his shirt buttons. Their breathing was so heavy and they both felt impatient waiting until she had gotten them all undone and so she gave up and moved straight to his pants and undid them. Tony helped her pull his pants down a little and then put his hand behind her head and called her name. He used his hands to gently direct her head and grunted as he felt the warmth of her mouth. The car windows were all fogged up. Tony told Michelle how good he felt. She contemplated sitting on his lap but as much as she wanted it, she didn't want their first time to be in a car.

After Tony had climaxed they went back to kissing passionately before having to stop to catch their breath. They looked around at the windows and giggled to each other. Tony traced her cheek with his thumb. "This is why I am completely not interested in staying in hospital tonight."

Michelle laughed. "You know, I don't know how to keep my hands off you for that long. All I can think about is being close to you, having you and being in your arms."

"I've wanted you for so long Michelle, now that I have you – it's hard to let go, even for just a little while."

Michelle put her hand on his chest. "Now tell me how you went."

As they spoke Tony had his hand under her top stroking her stomach. "It went so well. I know they were so impressed with the presentation and they laughed at my slogans which was the best feeling. They said they would call me back this afternoon on my cell."

Michelle threw her arms around him. "I am so proud of you, well done babe."

He kissed her neck, "I could never have done it without you. I would never have done it without you, I want you to know how much I appreciate your support and all your help."

The painkillers were starting to wear off and Tony could really feel the pain getting stronger and stronger. He had no more tablets left so they decided it was best to head straight to the hospital. They stopped for a quick lunch on the way. It was nearly 2pm by the time they made it there. Tony was taken straight up to a room so he could wait for the doctor to come and see him. They took his vitals which were all up a bit. Michelle sat quietly on a chair while the nurses fussed over Tony.

The doctor confirmed his ankle was infected moments after looking at it. He put Tony on a drip for high antibiotics and also called for a constant dose of pethadine to be released through the drip. This would make him sleepy and groggy all of the time but at least it would greatly reduce the pain. While they were having the drip set up Michelle went and called Chapelle to let him know what was going on. After pointing out how many hours of over time they had both done in the last few weeks as well as the fact that neither of them had a day off in so long, Chappelle agreed to giving them both a week break.

After the nurses had left them alone Tony had Michelle hop onto the bed and lay next to him. He flicked the television on and they both agreed on a sitcom. It didn't matter though, with Michelle not sleeping all night and Tony all drugged up they both feel asleep quickly for the rest of the afternoon. Michelle woke first and so she took herself down to the newsagent to pick out a novel and some magazines to read through the night.

Tony woke about 5 minutes before his dinner was bought in. He didn't feel much like eating. The pethadine was making him feel sick in the stomach and light headed. Michelle patted his forehead with a damp cloth and got him some ice chips to suck on. He felt guilty for Michelle being there. He was shocking company and he was sure she had to be bored. "Michelle please don't feel like you have to stay. I am ok, honestly. I'm sure you have lots of things you would rather be doing. Trust me I don't mind."

Michelle kissed his forehead which seemed to be burning up by the minute. "I want to stay with you Tony, this is where I want to be, and this is where I need to be. Unless you don't want me to stay?"

Tony found a smile and offered it to her. "Of course I want you with me, I just didn't want you to feel like you had to."

Michelle pressed the button for the nurse because she was worried his fever was continuing to rise. The doctor appeared as well and he asked Tony to sit up so he could check his breathing. Tony felt so ill sitting up and without warning he vomited. He was handed a bucket and he was sick another 2 times. He was completely mortified he had done that in front of Michelle. He had never been more embarrassed and he found he couldn't even look at her. The doctor explained to Tony and Michelle that the reason he was feeling so sick with a fever was because the antibiotics were flushing the infection through his system, he assured them it would pass. The pethadine was making him vomit and feel light headed so he tried switching Tony over to morphine.

When the doctor was gone and the nurses had cleaned Tony up, Michelle got Tony some water and handed it to him. He thanked her but didn't look at her. He had his head facing the other direction. That was something you would never want to do in front of your partner but nothing could be worse than it happening only a few days into the relationship. He thought about how much he must have turned Michelle off. She must have thought he was so disgusting. His embarrassment gave him a huge lump in his throat and made him feel even sicker. Michelle asked him a couple questions and he gave her very short answers, never turning his head. He didn't want to be rude to her, that was the last thing he wanted but he had no idea how to act. It really upset him. Tony wanted to be the big strong protective man to Michelle, not a pathetic wimp lying in a gown that didn't even do up puking his guts up. His self esteem dropped hugely as it affected him a lot more deeply than just being embarrassed.

Michelle could tell something was wrong. She asked him what was wrong and he snapped nothing. When Tony felt hurt he instinctively turned defensive. Michelle walked around so that she could see his face, he went to turn his head but she held his chin in her hand and kept his head facing her. "Tony what's going on? I don't understand why you are acting like this. What is wrong?"

"How could you even have to ask that?" He stared at the end of his bed, never once taking his eyes off it.

"I'm sorry Tony I don't know what I've done. Tell me so I can fix it. Is it something I said?"

"It's not you Michelle. I puked all over myself right in front of you – are you really going to try and pretend it didn't happen?"

Michelle was a little confused. "I'm not pretending anything Tony, there is no reason why you should worry about that."

He was in a real funk. Although he appreciated her acting like it was no big deal it did nothing to snap him out of feeling sorry for himself. "You don't have to act like it was nothing Michelle. I know how disgusted you must be, how turned off you are. You have to be repulsed with me. I'm sure you are really charmed with me doing that a couple days into the relationship."

Michelle sat on the bed next to him. "Tony I hadn't thought any of that even for a second. You're sick sweetheart, that's what happens – do you think I've never vomited before?"

She sounded so sincere he didn't know how to feel. "Yeah but I'm sure you didn't in front of someone you are in love with. God, it would have been better if I made the bucket, but no I had to mortify myself by doing it all over me."

"It didn't bother me Tony."

"That's crap, how could it not?"

"Tony the only thing I thought about it all was how horrible it felt to see you feeling so unwell. Gheez Tony give me a little more credit, I care for you and I'm not so shallow that I don't give a shit about something like that, it's you I am worried about. It's like you're angry with me because you made up your own mind that it would bother me and that is so unfair. I'm not the sort of person who is going to be turned off by something like that. You are sick. Believe it or not but my feelings for you are a hell of a lot more deeper than worrying about something so small that it shouldn't even be an issue. I'm upset and angry now and it's not because you threw up!" Michelle walked out of the room and headed for the elevator to go outside, she needed to cool down.

Tony wished he could chase after her. When she said it all to him like that it made him feel really horrible for the way he was thinking. After he thought about it he realized if the roles had been reversed he wouldn't have been bothered by it at all. Nothing could turn him off Michelle, and he'd certainly never hold something against her that happened when she was sick. He felt like an idiot and was so disappointed in himself for upsetting Michelle. He hoped she wouldn't be long till she came back. He tried to fight the medication but he couldn't and he kept drifting in and out of sleep while he waited. He didn't want her to walk in and see him sleeping and think he didn't care and had just gone to sleep without a worry.

Michelle walked back in 30 minutes later once she had cooled off. His eyes were closed but he opened them almost immediately when she walked in.

"Chelle, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. It was wrong of me to say all that stuff, once I reversed the situation in my mind I realized that I'd feel just how you do. I'm sorry I went off, I was just so embarrassed that you saw that. Can you understand that?"

"Of course I can Tony. I'm sure I'd feel embarrassed too but the point is you don't need to because I thought nothing of it. I just hate seeing you ill and the absolute last thing I was worried about was seeing you vomit."

Tony reached his hand out for her and she walked over and took it and then sat next to him. "I acted like a jerk Chelle and I apologize. I'm so caught up with wanting you to think of me as a strong and tough man. Someone who you know will look after you, so you feel safe with me but when something like this happens it makes me feel like I'm completely opposite to that. That I'm weak or something."

Michelle stroked his hair. "You are all that to me Tony. I mean I've seen you kick some serious ass before and be a total hard ass with people at work. You don't need to ever worry about that because I certainly look at you as the man that is going to look after me and keep me safe." Michelle tried to lighten the mood, she grabbed his arm, "I mean look at these huge muscles." She ran her hand all over his chest and stomach. "You have muscles everywhere, and you are just so damn sexy!"

Tony laughed. "Thanks Chelle, I am really sorry I lost it for a bit there. I think I'm just over all this." He pulled her body in close to his, "if only you knew just how special you are to me..."

She kissed him gently and tenderly and ran her hands through his hair. "Lets just put this behind us, and you feel free to puke all you want!" They both laughed.

Michelle lay next to him on the bed and read her book as he drifted in and out of sleep.


	13. chapter 13

It was 2am and they were both half awake. Tony had slept for ages and felt a lot better for it. Michelle was starting to get frustrated because she couldn't sleep, yet she was so tired. Her eyes were watering and she was so restless. She was taken off guard by his voice.

"Chelle, are you ok?"

"No, I can't sleep – I want some of your drugs!"

Tony laughed. "Trust me you don't want the drugs, they make you feel funny."

"Yeah but least I'd sleep. Do you realise how many hours you have slept yesterday afternoon and all night? Far out, for the last 5 hours you didn't even move in the slightest!"

Tony thought she was cute when she was being grumpy. "Awww Chelle are you whining?"

Michelle playfully pouted, "Yes I am! I am jealous of you and all your snoozing!"

"You should be jealous, it was such a good sleep." He was poking fun at her with such a cheeky grin on his face. "What can I do for you sweetheart?"

Michelle sat up letting out a huge sigh. Tony sat up next to her and stroked her arm. "Tony....now I am hungry!! Oh my God, how good would a big huge burger be right now?!"

He had to laugh, "What's up with you? You are in such a funny mood....it's very adorable."

"I'm tired and hungry, you forgot to feed me dinner last night. Plus the book I bought is bloody boring!"

"Awww Chelle, I slept straight through dinner."

"I KNOW! You are not helping here Tony!!"

He kissed her on the cheek and took her hand. "I'll take care of you sweetheart." Tony picked up the phone and got the nurses station. He told them he was hungry and so they patched him through to the kitchen. Tony ordered a pile of sandwiches and some ice cream with some juice. They said it would be brought up to him in a few minutes. He got off the phone looking very pleased with himself. "Look at me solving your troubles!!"

Michelle kissed him quickly but passionately on the lips before she got up to go to the bathroom. "If we were not in hospital, you would be getting very lucky right now!" She gave him a wink and turned to walk away leaving Tony with his mouth hanging open. She completely shocked him sometimes. 99 of the time she was shy and all sweet and innocent and then occasionally she would come out with something when he least expected it. He loved it about her. It was just like when she said all that stuff in front of the guys, she caught him so off guard that he couldn't even come up with a response.

His eyes followed her the entire way back to the bed giving her a seductive smile. She noticed him watching her, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Lucky....how exactly?"

Michelle gave him a cheeky grin. "I just meant that I would show you my appreciation for getting me food." She knew she was stringing him along and she was loving it. He took her hands and pulled her in closer to his body.

"Chelle, I don't mind that we are in hospital, I am more than happy for you to make me very lucky." He bit his lower lip but then leaned in and kissed her on the neck.

"Uh hah, there is no way this could be done in the hospital.....I guess maybe I'll just have to sing you a song or something instead!" Michelle laughed in amusement to herself.

Tony looked at her adoringly. "You are such a tease Chelle." This made her smile even bigger. She leaned in and kissed him sweetly on the lips, they both groaned at the same time.

They were interrupted by a kitchen hand bringing in the tray of food. She seemed embarrassed and put the tray down and left as fast as she could. Michelle looked at the huge arrangement of sandwiches and ice cream. "Wow.....look at all the food Tony. I don't know where to start.......actually yes I do." She picked up one of the tubs of ice cream and dived into it.

Tony shook his head and laughed. "You can't start with ice cream, that's dessert." She put some on the spoon and held it out for him, he leaned in so he could put the spoon in his mouth while she still held it. He opened up the other tub and they both fed each other from their containers. Once the ice cream was finished they made their way through the sandwiches.

Once they were done Michelle laid back on the bed. "Ok, that feels so much better. Thanks Tony." He gave her a wink and then lay back on his side so that he could rest one hand on her stomach. "Chelle, you need to change into something comfortable, no wonder you were not able to sleep. Just at least pull on a t-shirt, you can borrow some of my boxers that you packed."

"Ok." She hopped off the bed again and changed tops and pulled on some of his boxers. Climbing up back next to him he pulled her in so she was lying on her back and he was on his side next to her.

He started stroking her hair. "Close your eyes beautiful and try again to get to sleep."

Before she closed her eyes she kissed him on the lips. "Are you going to sleep too?"

Tony kissed her forehead. "I will once I know you have drifted off, but for right now I want to make sure I get you off to sleep first."

Michelle smiled and allowed him to gently play with her hair. It felt so nice to have him dote on her like this. Tony cuddled up with her, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her body into his chest. He continued to stroke her hair but he also kissed her too. Michelle's eyes popped open.

"Hey...hey...sweetheart, keep your eyes closed."

"Sorry, I just....well, this feels really good. Tony I love you cuddling me like this. It makes me feel special."

He let out a noise, to let her know how touched he was by what she said. "If I had it my way Chelle, I'd hold you all the time like this."

It didn't take long for Michelle to drift into a peaceful sleep. Tony continued to stroke her hair until he fell asleep himself.

When Tony woke in the morning Michelle was already awake and just walking back into his room with coffees for the both of them. She seemed really bubbly, especially happy.

"You feeling good Chelle? I love your gorgeous smile."

Michelle walked straight up to him and kissed him passionately. She tugged on his bottom lip opening his mouth so that she could push her tongue in and explore. He returned her intensity and pulled her into him. She eventually pulled back, "I feel so good, snuggling up with you was all I needed."

Tony smiled. Let me take you to dinner tonight Michelle, somewhere special?"

He held her tight while he waited for her response. "I'd love that Tony."

They were both commenting on how much better his ankle looked, when his doctor came in to check on him. He spent a couple minutes studying his foot before asking Tony to get up and try and walk on it. To his surprise he could walk on it with basically no trouble at all. "Wow, yesterday I couldn't even put any weight on it."

The doctor nodded his head. "That's because of the infection not from the surgery. Without the infection you would have been off crutches yesterday. You are fine to go but you will need to take some tablets for the rest of the week to keep fighting the infection. If it becomes sore like that again or red and swollen you need to come back straight away."

Tony thanked the doctor and once he was gone he helped Michelle throw their things back into the bag so they could go. He was so excited to be able to leave as well as

being off the crutches. "It's still early, want to swap dinner for lunch and maybe even then a movie?"

"Great, but I've got to go back to my place to shower and find something nice to wear."

"No problem Chelle, I've got my pants and shirt from the interview to wear."

It took Tony close to half an hour to be discharged from the hospital. Once they were outside and walking across the parking lot Tony slung the bag over his pack and then to Michelle's complete surprise he picked her up in his arms. Michelle let out a sound of shock as she was whisked into the air. She looked at Tony in complete and utter astonishment.

He kissed her on the forehead. "Finally now without crutches I can look after you the way I've always wanted."

He didn't put her down until they reached his car. Michelle couldn't take her eyes off Tony as he opened the door for her and helped her in. It wasn't until they were halfway to Michelle's place that Tony remembered to turn his phone on and check his messages. He had to have it off in the hospital and he had completely forgotten that the company he had interviewed with was going to call him. He hung up the phone with a huge grin on his face.

"Chelle they want me back tomorrow for a final interview! Can you believe it? This is all because of you Michelle..."

"No it isn't Tony – it was all you. It's because you are so talented, I'm so proud of you."

Tony took her hand. "Chelle I would never have gone to the interview if you hadn't pushed me, I also could have never gone if you hadn't put it all together the way you did. No one has ever believed in me like you did, thank you so much."

Tony watched as Michelle gazed out the window deep in thought. "Are you ok?"

Michelle turned back to him and smiled. "I'm fine, just thinking about how much it is going to suck not having you at CTU."

"It isn't for sure yet......Michelle is CTU your future?"

Michelle had thought about this a lot since Tony told her about his interest in the advertising agency. "I don't know. When I studied my goal was to work at the pentagon or at least be a liaison for it but then this job at CTU came up. When I took this job I made a pact with myself that by the time I had a family I would have moved into something a little less dangerous and stressful."

Tony nodded his head and rubbed the side of his face.

"Tony how come you're not saying anything?"

"Sorry Chelle, I think you would be great in a liaison position for the pentagon."

Michelle knew there was something he was holding back "What are you really thinking Tony? I can tell you're not saying something."

"I don't think you would consider it my place to say what I want to say. I also don't want to freak you out."

Michelle was so confused, "What could possibly be out of place for you to say and why would I freak out?"

Tony's hand still hadn't left his face. He pulled his car into the parking garage at her apartment. "Don't worry Michelle, it is fine. I honestly think the Pentagon thing sounds great, you would be great at anything you wanted to do." He started to get out of the car. Michelle jumped out as well and they began to walk to the elevator.

"You can't not tell me now Tony. Trust me, I'll be fine. This is freaking me out now more than anything. Please?"

Tony played with the elevator button as he spoke, too nervous to look her in the eyes. "Fine. You are excellent in your job at CTU Michelle, the best in the field. It has always bothered me though when I see how much the job upsets you and when situations have been bought back into the office I've always spent most my time worried about you being ok and not hurt. I don't ever want you going on Field assignments. I've seen what that job does to people, to families. I know it is selfish but I don't want to lose you. I see a huge future with us Chelle – I need you and I hate that CTU would always be jeopardising that."

Michelle took Tony's hand and turned his body so he was looking at her. She smiled at him to show she wasn't upset. "What kind of huge future?"

Tony relaxed and stepped in closer to her putting his arms around her waist. "You are my future Chelle.....I see it all with you."

Her eyes become watery and she waived her hand in front of her face making Tony smile. "Wow.....you are everything to me Tony, you are my future too."

They kissed very tenderly on the lips and then spent a minute looking into each other's eyes. Michelle took his hand and led him into the elevator. They just watched each other the entire way to her apartment. Tony had been there before a couple times to pick up or drop things off.

Once inside Michelle listened to her answering machine and then started rummaging through her closet for something to wear. Tony took a call on his cell phone which sounded like it was going to go on for a few minutes so she motioned to him that she was just going to take a quick shower.

He watched her head into the bathroom and started to picture her getting undressed. He tried to concentrate on his call but when he heard the water start then he started to picture her naked getting all wet. He kicked his shoes off and then took his pants off. He was still listening to the phone but when he started to think about yesterday in the car with Michelle he had to end the call. As he removed his shirt he thought about her face as he touched her, about how good she felt and about her voice as she said his name. He was so turned on, his heart began to race, his breathing sped up and his body felt fuelled by desire for Michelle.

He knocked on the door and when he heard her say 'come in' he slipped inside. He could see the look of surprise on her face when she saw he was naked. His body become tingly as he looked her over. When she smiled at him he almost had trouble breathing. He loved her smile, his heart couldn't help but smile when he saw it. The rest of the world and even the room blocked out of his mind and all he could see or think was Michelle. As he drew closer to the shower he watched Michelle as she studied his body. She could see how turned on he was and as she became fixated on him she bit her lower lip. He opened the door, stepped inside and stood so close to her body, they both focused their eyes on each others.

After a moment Michelle's eyes wondered down again. "Ohh Tony..."

That was it that was all he needed to hear to lose all control. He reached for her and then moved into her body. He pushed himself hard against her body making them both groan loudly. He pulled himself back just enough that he could explore her with his hands.

Michelle had picked up very clearly over the last couple days how much Tony loved it when she spoke to him. She studied his face as she began to talk to him. "You are so sexy Tony....." His head was down a little but he lifted his eyes to hers and opened his mouth, "Ooohh."

She kept speaking directly to his eyes. "I want you so much." She could feel him so hard against her leg and he bit his bottom lip, his eyes were begging for more. "Tony..." it almost came out in a whisper but she could tell by his expression he heard it. She trailed one finger down his chest and stomach, "I want to make you feel so good." He took another bit of his lip and began nodding his head – she doubted he even knew he was doing it. His hands dropped to his side and he stood still, completely captivated by her.

Michelle couldn't think of a time in her life that someone's reaction to her had made her feel so good. No one had ever looked at her the way he was now and she knew it wasn't just about sex, it was about so much more. She felt so special and loved just by the way he looked at her. Tony had been so nervous to tell her how much he worried about her working at CTU, what he didn't know was that she'd give it all up for him in a heartbeat. She had always wanted the family life but had put it on the back burner because of work, but now, just imagining having that with Tony made everything else drop to the bottom of her priority ladder. In just 3 days he had managed to open her eyes to what true love really felt like.

Tony couldn't make his body move, he tried to but it was like his feet were stuck to the shower base. His eyes were glued to Michelle, he felt like she had put him in a trance. Seemingly past words he used his eyes to beg her to continue. He knew she was talking to him like this because she had noticed how much he liked it. That made it feel ten times sexier, that she was doing it because she knew how much he wanted it. Her fingers traced his face, down his cheeks to his shoulders. He leaned his head forward to kiss her but she held her head back and put her fingers up to his mouth. He needed her so badly, he didn't think he could last another minute without touching her. He would take whatever he could right now so he covered her hand with his to keep it in place and began to suck on her fingers. He was only onto the second finger when he felt her tug her hand away, their eyes were still locked and she began to shake her head slowly with a very cheeky grin. Once again he was left standing there completely mesmerized by her but not allowed to touch. She ran her tongue across her lips and then let her own hands slide down her breasts to her stomach. Her name escaped his mouth before he even knew it. "Chelle...." His voice was almost squeaky, he sounded so on the edge – begging her for more.

She decided he had been patient enough and that she would give him exactly what he wanted. "Tony....can I have you now?"

His head was nodding at a rapid rate and his mouth was hanging open. He held his breath as her hands wrapped around his back and gripped his shoulders slowly making their way down to his lower back. As her hands lowered so did the rest of her body, she kissed him the entire way. His hands made their way to hold onto the top of her head, he ran them through her hair. As she wrapped her mouth around him, his knees buckled – he had to throw his hands against the side walls to steady himself. She looked up at him and ran one hand up his stomach and chest as far as she could reach.

He already felt close. She had riled him up so much before that as soon as she had touched him he could barely keep himself standing. "Michelle.....I'm close..."

She used more pressure making him climax in a heartbeat. He groaned like he never had before and then his body slumped down so they were face level. He cupped her face with his hands. "I'm sorry....I couldn't last.....you have no idea what you were doing to me that whole time." She leaned in and kissed him with her mouth open, first taking in his bottom lip and then his top lip. Still basically stunned it took him a moment to catch up but when he did he let his tongue explore her open mouth. Her body fell backwards bringing him with her so that she was sitting on the ground and he was crouched over her. Their moaning was almost louder than the water running and even when they stopped kissing to catch their breath, they still groaned and said each other's names loudly.

The water began to get cooler and cooler and it completely ran out before either one of them had even noticed. Giving them a rude shock they both jumped up and scrambled to turn the taps off and then stepped outside the shower. Michelle started to shake immediately as the water had made her so cold. Tony grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her and started to dry her. Once they were both dry they headed into the bedroom with towels around them and started to get ready. Shooting flirty smiles across the room it was taking ages for either of them to get anything done.

"I'm sorry the water ran out Chelle, I wasn't finished with you."

"That's ok, we can always take many more showers!"

Tony's face because a little more serious as he walked over to Michelle. "There is something about you Chelle.......I couldn't move, I was mesmerised by you – when you finally touched me I just about fell over. I didn't think it was possible to feel the way you make me feel Michelle."

"You're happy Tony?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. "I've never been happier Chelle."

"I'll never forget the day Tony that the Markson bust went wrong and those traitors managed to escape.....I found you sitting on your couch so angry and disappointed you could barely speak. You kept telling me to go home but I couldn't leave you like that. I sat with you for like 3 hours, we didn't even talk – you just needed to wrap your head around what had happened. All I wanted was to be able to make you feel better. I was so upset when I realised that I couldn't make you happy. Since that day I've just wanted to be enough for you...."

Tony gave a little chuckle. "Chelle I spent half of that time thinking about how much I wanted to be with you. All I could think was that you would never go for me and I'd never know what it was like to be with you. That's why I was so angry. You were more than enough, I mean I remember feeling better as soon as you said you wanted to stay with me."

She stroked his face. "You should have kissed me then babe. Wow, you have no idea how much I was thinking about kissing you then."

"I would have if I didn't think you would slap me if I did....."

They were interrupted by Michelle's cell phone. She grabbed it off the bed. "Dessler."

"Michelle, its Brad Hammond. I need to see you immediately."

"I'm not at work Sir, I have the next few days free."

"Michelle I need you to come into CTU now."

"Ok I'll come in. Have I done something wrong Sir?"

"This is something we need to discuss – Is it true to state that you are involved in a committed relationship with your superior Tony Almeida."

Michelle's heart felt like it stopped. She couldn't lie. "Yes sir, that is true."

He sighed, "Michelle I need to see you as soon as possible."

"I'm on my way."


	14. chapter 14

Michelle hung up the phone and turned to Tony. "I'm in trouble, they know about us and they are pissed. I have to go in now." Michelle felt panicked and began to finish getting ready as quick as she could.

"Chelle it will be ok, I'll come in with you and I'll talk to them." He gathered the rest of his stuff and they headed for the car.

They spent the entire ride trying to suss out what was going to happen. Tony had to keep reassuring Michelle things would be ok. He wasn't sure if he even believed it though. It was unusual for Hammond to have called her in like this. They pulled into the parking garage and kissed before they got out to go inside.

Hammond was waiting for Michelle with Chappelle in conference room 6. They looked surprised to see Tony right behind her. Chappelle greeted them both. "Michelle, Tony – it is probably best you are here Tony, we need to talk to you too."

Both Michelle and Tony didn't speak, rather just nodded politely and took a seat.

Hammond was in a foul mood and wasted no time on chit chat. "I'm sure we don't need to tell you both that office relationships are strictly against regulations."

"Michelle and I are not just fooling around, what we have is serious."

Hammond smirked at Tony. "Things were serious with Nina too Tony, surely you learnt how messy these things can end up....not just for you two but everyone around you."

Michelle was insulted and Tony was horrified that Nina had just been used against him. Michelle kept a straight face, "In all fairness sir, I'm not Nina – there is no threat or potential for a situation like that."

"Michelle I wasn't insulting you, it was merely an example of how personal relationships in the work place do not work. This is magnified in our line of work. We can not afford for personal emotions and feelings to be a factor in our office."

Tony tried to appeal to Chappelle who was capable of acting a little bit more like a human. "Ryan, we are really happy together. You can trust that this will never be an issue for us – nobody else will even know. Please give us a chance to prove that to you."

Hammond snapped before Chappelle even had a chance. "Sorry, these rules are in place for a reason. We cannot bend them for you two and not be expected too for anybody else."

Michelle was over Hammond and his attitude. "What are you saying then?"

Hammond closed his eyes for a moment, almost like he was working out how to word what he was going to say. He took a step back as he spoke. Chappelle's eyes dropped to the floor. "Michelle you have two choices. You can take a transfer which at this time would be to be one of our branches on the east coast – or you can resign with a full reference."

Michelle was shocked and couldn't speak. Her stomach flipped and she felt all of her muscles tighten. Tony arked up straight away, "What? You can't be serious. What about me? I am just as much a part of this....."

Chappelle cut him off. "Tony we need you here as director. You should consider yourself very lucky that no action is being taken against you, especially seeing as you are Michelle's boss."

"No action – how do you figure that? Either way I lose Michelle, you know she is the best in her field, we need her here. Punish me instead, demote whatever you have to do..."

Hammond raised his voice. "You should have thought of that then Tony before you decided to get involved. This is not negotiable. We will give you a couple minutes Michelle to make your decision."

Hammond and Chappelle left the room pulling the door closed behind them. Tony began to pace the room rubbing the side of his face. He was furious. "Fucking bastards! I swear to god they are useless pricks...." He continued to mouth obscenities until Michelle interrupted him.

"Tony, I need to make a decision. You going off is not going to help." She didn't even know how she felt. It was hurtful that she was so expendable to CTU. All of her hard work, especially over the last few weeks meant nothing. She felt ashamed that everybody would just think she had been kicked out because she had slept with her boss without knowing the truth of their relationship.

Tony felt guilty that Michelle was copping everything for something they were both doing. "I'm so sorry Chelle. I can't believe they are doing this...."

"What do I do Tony? If I want a job I'm going to have to move to New York.....I wonder if they will find me useless there too..."

Tony held her shoulders. "You are not useless..."

"Then how come they can just drop me like this? I've worked so hard. I mean they won't touch you yet they are more than happy to completely get rid of me.....I'm so glad I gave this job everything!!" Her sarcastic tone was full of hurt and anger. Tony could see that she was trying to hold back tears.

"They are just being jerks Chelle. You are the best at what you do. This is going to hurt them because there is no one who can do what you do."

Michelle dropped her head. Tony watched her as he tried to find words that would be of some comfort to her. There was nothing he could say, he felt so responsible and awful that this was happening to her because of him. He could hear her repeating 'New York' quietly to herself. He didn't know what he would do if she left him.

"Would you go to New York Michelle?" He felt himself unable to breathe as he waited for her response.

"Then there would be no 'us' and all of this would have been for nothing."

Tony despised hearing the words come out of his mouth but in his heart he only wanted Michelle to be happy – no matter what that meant for him. "I'll walk away from you Chelle, if you want me to. Then you could keep your job here."

Tony's motivation behind his words was lost on Michelle. She was too desperate for a solution and too frustrated to find one that she felt her world caving in around her. She stood up and moved away from him. "You'll just walk away? 20 minutes ago I thought I was important to CTU and you and now I see how mistaken I was...."

"Michelle that's not what I meant! I want you to be happy, I just want you to know I'll do anything for you to be happy. I'd be devastated Chelle but I don't know what else I can do. This is so messed up, considering I'll probably leave soon anyways."

"Sorry." Michelle looked into his eyes. Seeing the man that had completely stolen her heart, she realised giving CTU up for him was not a hard decision. She could easily get a job somewhere else with her qualifications but she would never ever have anyone like Tony in her life again. She cared for him more than she had anything or anyone else in her entire life. Looking into his beautiful eyes made her feel so warm and special inside, she knew nothing else was more important than being with him. She hoped he felt the same way.

Her voice was quiet and her lip quivered. "Tony, are you sure you see and want a future with me?"

Tony thought Michelle must be thinking she would leave for New York. "Don't leave me Michelle. I'll quit and move to New York too if that's what I need to do to be with you. Chelle..."

"Tony I'm not talking about New York. I just need to know that your serious about me, about 'us' before I make a decision."

He took her hands in his. "I'm in love with you Michelle. Nothing will ever change that. I need you, I want you.....I have to have you in my life."

Hammond and Chappelle returned and Tony and Michelle broke apart. Michelle didn't bother sitting down. "Go ahead, fire me. I'm not going to New York and I'm not leaving Tony so do what you have to do."

For the first time a flicker of sadness crossed Hammonds face. "Are you sure Michelle? You have such a bright future with CTU."

"You know I've gone above and beyond for you guys here. I've put my country ahead of myself – just a few weeks ago I nearly had to go to jail for doing the right thing serving my country. I've worked two positions since the bomb not to mention about 100 hours overtime. Since my first day here I have given this office 150 every minute of everyday. I'm disappointed and insulted that none of that means a thing simply because I happen to love someone who shares an office. If after everything I have given you, you can't trust I'd continue to do the right thing then I don't want to work here anyway. You are treating me in a disgusting manner and I have lost respect for you and this place."

Michelle turned and left the room before she started to cry. She managed to hold her tears while she was in the conference room but her first step outside the door and the tears began to take over. She headed straight to the car.

Tony felt proud of Michelle for her words. Chappelle and Hammond both stood looking very disappointed. Tony thought he could see regret in both of their eyes. He shook his head at them as he left the room to chase Michelle. He found her at the car with tears streaming down her face. He went to wrap her up in his arms but she tensed up. "Can we just get out of here Tony?" He opened the door for her and helped her in.

Michelle covered her face with both of her hands as Tony drove. He turned down a couple streets until he found a more secluded place to pull over. He parked the car, pulled the arm rest up between them and slid over to Michelle. He pulled her body into his, pushing her head into his chest and held her tightly. Tears formed in his own eyes as her sobs became louder when he wrapped himself around her. "I'm so sorry Michelle. God I'm sorry. I'm going to look after you. I can't believe you gave it all up for me.....it's my fault."

Michelle pulled her head back and wiped his tears with her thumbs. "It was the easiest decision to make Tony. You mean everything to me and as long as I have you, I don't care if I don't have CTU. I'm more crying because of the shock and I'm so angry with them. Plus it was hard for me to stand up and say all that stuff to them."

"I don't even know what to say Chelle.....in my wildest imagination I could never imagine that anyone could give so much up to be with me. God Chelle, I don't want you to regret this. What if I'm not everything you want?"

"You already are everything I want. I'll never regret this Tony. It's sad it came to this but you know what? It was just a job, you on the other hand make me happy. I don't think you understand how long and how much I've wanted to be with you. I use to think about you holding me, or kissing me all the time, all year! Now when you do....I get tingles all over my body, my knees go weak and my heart pounds so hard I think it's going to jump out of my chest. I'd do anything to be with you, because you are the most special person I know."

He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the top of her head. A few happy tears managed to make their way down his cheeks. "I love you more than I'll ever know how to explain." He let their bodies move apart and he started the car back up. He drove them the short distance to his apartment. They drove in silence but held hands firmly and continued to swap looks of admiration.

Once inside Tony took Michelle's bag and put it down. He held his hands around her waist and looked deep into her eyes. He couldn't speak, his emotions felt too strong for words. He'd never felt so intimate with someone and yet they were only holding one another. He was taking her all in, just soaking up her beauty and thinking about what it felt like to be with Michelle. He wanted all of her, he needed to be able to be that close to her.

Michelle could tell by Tony's eyes that this was it, they were going to give each other everything. He had never looked at her like this and it felt so different, so unbelievably special. She knew it was a look he had never given to anyone else before, this was for her. There were still no words spoken which seemed to make everything even more beautiful between them. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He didn't shift his gaze as he carried her to his bed and laid her down gently. She pulled him down on top of her so that he was covering her entire body. He let his weight sink into her as he began to nibble on her neck.

Within moments they were kissing passionately and pressing their bodies into each other. Michelle tugged on the bottom of his shirt and so he sat up and pulled it over his head. She sat up with him and moved her lips all over his chest using her tongue in her kisses. She groaned as she moved over his body, Tony watching her every move. Eventually he pulled her head up and had her lean back so that he could unbutton her shirt. Once he had removed her bra he lay her back down, kissing every inch of her bare skin.

He sat back up and under her lustful eyes undid his own belt and pants. Michelle moaned his name loudly. He felt a pang of shivers run down his spine as he saw her hands grip the sheets tightly while she stared at him. Tony then began to undo her belt and pants while kissing her hips and running his tongue along the top of her pant line. She put her hands on the top of his head and ran them through his hair. She listened to him grunt and groan and begged him for more by lifting her hips and lower body into his hands.

He slid off the end of the bed taking the remainder of her clothes with him. He stood looking at her naked body while he removed everything that he had on. She looked at how turned on he was and called is name. As he crawled back onto the bed he firmly kissed her thighs, stomach and chest. As their bare skin pressed against each other they both groaned. They kissed tenderly for a few minutes before Tony lifted his face and looked at Michelle.

Without him needing to say a word Michelle could tell by his expression what he was asking. His hand stroked her cheek and hair while she nodded with a sexy smile. "Ohh Chelle..." He pushed himself inside her and they both gasped for air. He explored her gently and slowly and they both groaned.

As their pace fastened so did their breathing. The heat between them continued to rise and soon they were kissing everywhere they could reach. They made love for the first time and they both felt like it was perfect – just as they had dreamed of.

When they had finished Tony whispered into her ear, "I love you." She returned his words and pulled him in for a hug. They stayed wrapped in each others arms for a long time, never wanting the moment to end. Eventually they both drifted off to sleep with Tony still on top of Michelle.


	15. chapter 15

It was more like a power nap then anything else. After 30 minutes they both began to stir. He couldn't believe he was still lying on top of her. "Shit Chelle, I must be crushing you."

She put her arms around his back so he couldn't move. "It's perfect Tony, I love being covered by you." He smiled, she was so in love with his smile. He started to kiss her neck and nibble on her ear.

"Crap.....its 4..." Tony lifted his body up with his arms.

Michelle wasn't sure what was going on, "so...."

"I've got the final job interview at 5, remember?" Tony looked down at Michelle. She was nodding her head at him and saying 'ok'. He could see the lost look in her eyes as she thought about her own situation. He felt guilty even bringing up his interview. He wondered how he was going to make all this ok for Michelle.

"Chelle...."

She turned her neck so she was looking back up at him.

"We are going to get through this baby, we will find you something 10 times better than CTU." He winked at her and then kissed her tenderly on the lips.

Tony's phone ringing broke them apart. Tony pulled himself off Michelle and grabbed his phone from his pants. It was Jack...

"What the fuck is going on Tony? They just told us about Michelle."

"What did they say?"

Jack stumbled on his words which was uncommon for him. "You don't want to know Tony, Hammond has a major pole up his ass at the moment."

"Jack, I want to know – what did they say?"

Michelle was listening now too. It wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about.

Jack cleared his throat. "They said that she had resigned after refusing a transfer because her job here was no longer an option for her. When one of the girls asked why and that's when Hammond told her that Michelle had decided to break the rules by sleeping with her boss. It was like he was making an example of her. Just about everybody had a go at him and Chappelle about it Tony.....everyone feels horrible for you guys."

"Son of a bitch.....I'll fucking kill him."

Michelle was very anxious now to know what had been said. The home rang and so Michelle answered it for Tony. It was the people that Tony was supposed to have his interview with in an hour. Michelle asked them to hold. Tony told Jack to hold and swapped phones. Michelle listened to him thank the man a few times before confirming a date that was over 3 weeks away. He hung up the phone and went back to Jack, he walked over to Michelle who was sitting on the bed and stroked her hair as he told Jack he was back – and then he told him to hold again. He covered the mouth piece and leant down to Michelle's ear.

"How do you feel about going to dinner with a few people? Jack, the guys that were here the other night, and any of your friends."

"Ok, sure."

Tony told Jack that they would see them there and then hung up.

"What did the job people say Tony?"

A huge smile spread across his face and he pulled Michelle in close. "They said I got the job and don't need to go in. The other guy they were deciding between pulled out so they want me to have it."

Michelle hugged him tightly, "I'm so proud of you Tony. Congratulations! Wow.....how exciting! We need to celebrate tonight."

Tony kissed her on the forehead. "The best part Chelle is....I don't start for like 3 and a half weeks. I'll leave CTU straight away – we can have heaps of time together."

"That's great Tony – I am so happy for you. You are going to be great at this."

Tony picked his cell back up again, "want to call some friends and see who feels like meeting up for some dinner and a couple drinks?"

Tony called a couple of his friends from his cell phone while Michelle used his home phone to call hers. She was excited for them all to meet. In the end Michelle got hold of 4 girls that could come and so could Tony's friends Chris and Ben plus his brother Jeff was going to come too.

Tony wrapped his arms around Michelle's waist from behind. She asked the question he had hoped she had forgotten to ask. "Umm, what did they say at work? I know it must have been bad because of your reaction."

He ran his stubble across her neck and kissed her softly. "Don't worry about it sweetheart."

Michelle turned her body so she was facing him. She could see how much he wanted to avoid this conversation. "I want to know Tony, please?"

He tucked one of her curls behind her ear. "I'd rather not Michelle. Just don't worry about it."

"I am worried, come on Tony – you would want to know as well."

He did not look happy at all about having to tell her. "Just remember Chelle, Hammond is a jerk and everyone thinks that. He told everyone you left after your job there was no longer an option and you refused a transfer..."

Michelle looked relieved. "Well that's not bad, why were you worried about that?"

"Michelle....someone then asked why you couldn't do your normal job and that's when Hammond made a smart-ass comment saying how you decided to break the rules by sleeping with your boss."

Michelle's eyes dropped. "Did everyone hear him say that?"

Tony's voice was quiet, "I think so."

Tony watched as Michelle dropped her arms and walked into the bathroom, and then into the living room and study – she was pacing the apartment. Tony followed her, "Chelle you can't let him get to you like this, everyone knows he is an arsehole."

"It doesn't matter Tony that he was being a jerk – what matters is that now that's what they are all going to think of me. They don't know how serious we are about each other, it just looks like I am a slut or something. No doubt people are going to say I did it to get promoted or something."

"Everyone there knows you better than that Michelle, plus Jack is setting the record straight."

Michelle felt so angry. In just one day she had gone from having a very important respected position to being unemployed and all her ex workmates were told it is because she slept with her boss. She could have caught him out on a technicality – She and Tony had only just slept together for the first time....after she was fired. She really felt like she didn't deserve to be treated the way she had been. She turned around and faced Tony, she threw her hands up in the air as she began to speak..

"This is just fucking great. First they force me into resignation and now they make all my colleagues think badly of me. How could Hammond say that without mentioning that we were actually in a relationship? I was good at that job you know Tony – I worked really hard. I don't want people thinking I just got drunk or something one night....or even that you were using me. They all probably think it was you that asked for me to have to leave. This is all just stupid.....God I'm so pissed about the whole thing now."

Tony felt guilty and worried. Michelle was angrier than she had been before – was she starting to regret her decision? He couldn't believe how much worse it seemed to make things that he had been her boss – had everyone forgotten he was only her boss for a week before all this? He wished he had just made something up instead of telling her the truth.

"It is none of their business Michelle. They can think what they want about me – I know the truth...."

"That's because you are still at work – obviously it is me that was wrong in this situation. You know what is almost even funny about all this?! We hadn't even had sex yet."

"I know you copped everything because of us Chelle – it is completely unfair that nothing happened to me. I should have just quit on the spot – especially now with this other job. What can I do Chelle?"

Michelle didn't think she was angry at Tony and she didn't mean to direct her anger at him but she didn't know how else to deal with it. "Nothing.....there is nothing you can do."

Tony's cell rang and he answered it – more just to give himself a minute to think of a response to her. It was Hammond.

"Almeida, its Brad Hammond."

"What do you want?"

Hammond had expected Tony to be kurt with him so he brushed it aside. "We need to know what day you were going to come back to work. I know we gave you a week off but now with Michelle gone we are in trouble...."

Tony had to laugh. "And you really think I am going to help you deal with this mess?"

Hammond was losing his patience. "You don't have a choice, it is your job. I want you in by Thursday."

Tony's moment had come, "Not going to happen. I was going to give my 2 weeks notice but after hearing how you described Michelle's departure to the rest of the staff you have lost any chance of me doing the right thing by you. I feel sorry for you Brad, having to say shit like that to hurt other people." Once he had started he realised he could have gone off forever – he had years worth of gripes for this guy.

"Are you really going to throw your career away over this girl Tony? I shouldn't have said what I said – I apologise for that. We need you here Tony. This thing with Michelle is going to pass..."

"This thing? This thing? God, you really have no clue do you? What I have with Michelle is serious – I will be with her forever. If you need me.....you should have thought of that before you treated me and Michelle with no respect today."

Brad hung up on Tony in frustration. He already regretting his actions with Michelle, now there was another reason too. He had lost his two best agents in one day.

Tony walked back to Michelle. "I quit Chelle – I told Hammond where to go. I'm not even going to go back in."

Michelle was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, she looked up at him. "That's great Tony – now you can just concentrate on your new job."

He sat down in front of her and reached out and touched her cheek. "I should have been more careful with 'us' Michelle – instead of announcing it to Jack and anyone else I could. Hammond has known for ages that I like you, he even made a comment about it the day we slept here. I should have known what the consequences were better."

"If you had known Tony, would you do things differently?"

Tony had a couple different answers to this question. He sat cross-legged and put his hand on her knee. "On one hand yes and on the other no..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'd have to say 'yes' I'd change things when I see what all of this is doing to you. I mean it has cost you far too much. I hate seeing you upset......our relationship should be making you happy."

He could see her bottom lip quivering. He continued...

"On the other hand, I'd have to say 'no' I wouldn't change a thing. Michelle I know it has only been like 4 or 5 days that we have actually been together but they have been enough to change my life forever. You have opened my eyes to how happy I can really be, you have made me feel so special – so wanted and loved. I wouldn't have even had the courage to go for this new job without you. You make me want to be the best person I can be."

He brushed his thumb over her lips and then across her cheek into her hair. She looked up at him – when their eyes finally locked he attempted to give her a small smile before he continued.

"God, I look at you Michelle and you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. You literally make my heart race and my go weak. When I kiss you I get the biggest butterflies in my stomach, even when I am just imagining being with you my stomach goes crazy. I just never knew how unbelievably incredible things could be when you are with someone who you are deeply in love with and so insanely attracted too. It is the most powerful feeling in the world and it completely consumes my entire body.

Obviously I wish all this shit with CTU never happened – I couldn't be sorrier that it did. I want you though Michelle – I'll do anything in the world to keep you. I know you are angry right now Chelle......I need to know if you are regretting things happening between us."

Michelle wiped her eyes, they were watery. "I haven't regretted 'us' for a second Tony. How could I?! You are my perfect man. It's not about you Tony – I feel so stroppy because of how easily they let me go. The way they handled things made me feel like I am so easily replaced. I also hate Hammonds comment – to anyone else it sounds like it was just a one of thing and then you have had me leave the office. I don't want people thinking it was just nothing, that we are nothing. I guess I'm not use to my sex life being talked about so openly – especially to work people, I could have handled it better if it was with friends."

Tony felt a little relieved but even angrier at Hammond then he was before. "Chelle I can fix that – I will have Jack clear it up with everyone exactly what happened. I promise you that everyone who heard what Hammond said will be told about us. You don't need to worry about that....ok?"

That really did make Michelle feel a lot better. "Ok, thanks Tony."

"The reason Hammond was calling me sweetheart was because they were so screwed with you gone that they wanted me to come back to work instead of taking the week off. I could tell he regretted the whole thing Michelle – he did apologise for what he said as well. You know Chelle this could turn out really good for you – maybe you could look into the Pentagon position you mentioned earlier.....or something like that."

Michelle let out a little chuckle, "you mean a 'safer' job......you did say you didn't like me working there!"

He smiled seeing her laughing again and back to her usual funny self. "That's right – only 'safe' jobs for you.......it is time for you to start thinking that way instead...."

"What do you mean?"

Tony held her hand in his. "Well you know maybe its time when you are looking at new jobs that you keep.....you know.....the whole marriage and kids thing in mind."

"I can do that.....it is a lot easier to do you know when you have someone you can picture it all with."

Tony sat up and knelt on his knees so he could then lean in and kiss Michelle passionately. He pressed her against the wall and pushed his tongue into her mouth. She grabbed at his chest and he started to groan loudly. When his knees got sore from kneeling on them he slid his hands under her and picked her up. He carried her to the bathroom.


	16. chapter 16

He put her down on the bathroom counter. "We've got to get ready, we need to meet everyone soon."

"Go ahead, I'll supervise you Tony while you have a shower." She flashed her cheeky grin that he loved.

"I need to shave first so I guess I'll have to watch you."

Michelle moved herself across the counter and sat herself in the sink. Tony watched her in complete shock. "Are you going to explain yourself to me?"

"It's simple......I don't want you to shave."

Tony looked at himself in the mirror. "Are you kidding me? I'm a mess Chelle. I've got to look somewhat presentable when I am walking along side you."

"But Tony I love your stubble. It is sooo sexy."

Tony playfully picked her up. "You love the stubble do you?" He carried her through to the bedroom. Michelle was laughing so hard. "You think I'm sexy?" He was speaking in a funny voice, Michelle just couldn't stop giggling. He threw her on the bed and crawled on top of her. "So tell me princess.....what exactly do you love about the stubble?"

Michelle tried to stop laughing enough to speak. "It is just so manly and I love the way it feels on my bare skin. It's all scratchy and stuff when we kiss – such a turn-on."

"Is that so...huh?" He pulled up her shirt to reveal her naked stomach, he then began to rub his cheek all over her. He then moved to her lips where he started to kiss her very passionately. The kiss was getting hotter and hotter, he ran his hand up her stomach and she surprised him by grabbing it and firmly moving it to her chest. He groaned loudly and kissed her harder and harder, sometimes missing and hitting her chin and cheeks.

He pulled back to look at her – he had to laugh, she had scratchy red marks all around her mouth. He picked her back up and took her to the bathroom counter again. He turned her so body so she was facing the mirror. "Look what my stubble does to you sweetheart."

Michelle smiled. "Now do you see why I love it Tony? God....it feels so good too."

He wrapped his arms around her, "Alright, you win – I won't shave ......especially if it will help me get lucky tonight!"

"Didn't you just get lucky a couple hours ago?"

He looked deep into her eyes while he ran his hands gently over her shoulders. "I certainly did, but have you seen you? I don't know how I'm even expected to get through dinner!"

"Yeah, you're right, it will be tough...." She was giggling to herself. Tony was laughing at her too. Whenever she was being a smart-ass or pulling a prank, she had a very distinctive cheeky giggle.

They finally pulled themselves together and started getting ready. Michelle wore jeans with a tight black top and Tony wore jeans with a shirt and a sports coat. When Michelle saw Tony dressed and ready to go she stopped and very obviously checked him out. Tony actually went red. "Damn Tony, you look hot!" A grin appeared across his face and his eyes followed her as she walked out of the apartment. He almost walked straight into the door as he was too busy watching her then where he was going.

They took a taxi. They were going to a pub (bar?) that had a serviced area. They were the last ones to arrive. Michelle's friends and Tony's had all already introduced themselves. Tony was the only one left who needed introducing.

Michelle held Tony's hand. "I am so excited for you guys to finally meet! Tony, this is Amy, Lisa, Jo and Emma – guys this is Tony."

It was quite a large group of them and they were all very noisy from the get go. Jack pulled Michelle aside early on. "Chelle, I can't believe what Hammond did to you. I've already set most people straight and I'll catch the rest very soon. I am just so, so sorry."

Michelle hugged him. "Thanks Jack, that means a lot."

"It is also more than admirable that you did it for Tony. I don't think I know anybody else who would do something like that."

"It was easy Jack – there is nothing more important than having him."

Jack kept one hand on her shoulder as they spoke. "What will you do now? Any ideas yet?"

Michelle smiled. "No not really but Tony has made it clear it has to be a 'safe' more normal job."

Jack laughed. "That's Tony for you. You know Michelle, you have really swept him off his feet – none of us have ever seen him so happy before. I mean, Fuck – he's got a fricken bounce in his step!"

Michelle's eyes found Tony as she laughed. Michelle didn't tell Jack the reason Tony was glowing tonight was probably because they had been together just a few hours ago for the first time. She figured the boys would be bugging Tony soon anyways and she was more than happy to let him deal with it. A couple of her friends joined her. They all stood around laughing and chatting for ages.

Michelle blushed a little when her friends started telling her how hot they thought Tony was, right in front of Jack. Jack just laughed. Watching her friends go on and on about how impressed they were with Michelle's new boyfriend made her feel so proud. Just hearing them discuss him made Michelle miss that he was not by her side. She pictured in her own mind him leaning into her over the bathroom sink. She zoned out for a few moments before bringing herself back to earth.

After dinner all the girls ordered Shooters and started having shots. Already tipsy from the wine of dinner this certainly helped them all on their way. Amy let it spill that she thought Tony's friend 'Ben' was gorgeous. She told how they had spent most of the night so far making eyes at each other. She asked if Michelle knew him.

"I met him for the first time a couple days ago, but I guess they were over all day and night. He is a fun guy Amy, he has a good sense of humour. He comes across as if he would be kinda sensitive too. I can't say too much as they were all completely wasted and acting like typical men!"

Tony was finally cornered by Jack.

"You're flying tonight Tony...."

"No Jack, I'm not on drugs – I am drunk though."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "Really, I would have never known! How are things going with Michelle?"

"Better than I ever imagined....and I didn't think that would be possible. My imagination has very high standards you know."

Jack handed Tony another drink. "Do you remember the other morning just the two of us were discussing Michelle? You told me how much you were falling for her....you guys seem to be going well."

"Not falling for her – I have fallen for her. I am in love with her. I just never knew things could be this good. When I think about what it was like with Nina – it just doesn't compare. Do you think you were happy with Nina Jack?"

Tony could see the glow in Jacks eyes fade away as Nina was brought up. She was the reason though that he and Jack had such a tight respect for each other, almost like brothers.

"What I had with Nina was so different, I think, to you Tony. As horrible as it sounds, I was just leaning on her as my marriage was going through a bad patch, that at the time I didn't see ending. What we had was physical. She was the one person that I trusted completely. Maybe she meant more to me than I wanted to believe.....I know I was jealous when she moved on to you."

Tony was shocked, shocked that Jack had felt that way and even more shocked that he had just told him. "I think it is hard Jack in our job when you find someone you truly trust they become everything to you – wether they are a lover or friend. I was just a crutch for Nina, it was you she really wanted to be with. Everyday was a constant struggle for me to feel important in that relationship. You know, I never opened up to her."

"Why did you stay with her Tony?"

"I ask myself that all the time. I don't think I knew how unhappy I was. Outside work then I was like the dominate one in the relationship but then at work she was my boss – she constantly used her position to rub my face in what she use to have with you. I didn't think I deserved any better."

Jacks eyebrows rose. "I can't believe you said that Tony. How could you think that?"

This was the most open conversation Tony had ever had with a guy before. He felt like this discussion would have helped so much had he and Jack been able to do it not long after they found out about Nina.

"I dunno. It wasn't until Michelle came along and just started doing all these things I wasn't use to that I realised how fucked up Nina was. When I broke that rib....remember?" Jack nodded. "Nina got pissed off with me for ruining her afternoon. She didn't visit or anything – I just caught up with her a week later at work. If you get treated like that enough times then that's what you end up believing. When I did my foot, Michelle not only took me to the hospital but waited hours and hours with me. That was straight after I had been a royal ass to her as well. She didn't leave my side Jack. Even at home, she completely doted on me – she made me feel so important. Same with this new job. Nina saw my work too – she told me it was crap, that I was crap at it. I couldn't bring myself to ever show anyone else. It wasn't til Michelle found them and told me how much she liked it, did I start thinking it was something I could do again. Just having her believe in me is the best feeling. Michelle is the reason why I know I was too good for Nina now."

"I am so happy Tony that you have found Michelle and you can finally put Nina behind you for good. Never lose sight of yourself again like that Tony, you are the best agent I know and you're....ummm....a great friend too."

"Thanks Jack." They both stood a little awkwardly for a moment. Neither of them knew what to do after a conversation like that with a guy. Fortunately a bar maid approached them with beer. They both bought one and started to drink it very quickly. Tony knew he had to be careful, he was already pretty drunk. Finally Jack broke the ice.

"So, on to serious stuff, have you and Michelle slept together yet......or are you still holding back at a slow pace?" Jack made himself laugh, he was poking fun at the conversation he and Tony had had the other day. Tony had told Jack he would go at any pace Michelle wanted, but it was perfectly clear how much he was dying for it.

Tony was relieved the conversation had returned easily to the typical shit they were very good at talking about. Any excuse to talk about Michelle and Tony wanted to jump all over it. "This afternoon actually. Good thing you didn't drop by this time!"

They both had a good laugh at that. Jack's ears really perked up.

"I'm surprised you were able to last this long, that couldn't have been easy. So...."

"What's with all your interest in my sex life Jack? Fuck, you are nearly as bad as Chris and Ben."

"Well when I get a sex life of my own, then I won't need to worry about yours so much."

"That's fair enough. Trust me, we have spent every spare second mauling each other. Within minutes of being with her, all she has to do is look at me or touch me and I am all ready to go again. It was fucking awesome Jack, she is amazing. It could not have been more perfect."

All this talk of Michelle made Tony desperate to at least look at her. His eyes searched the room. He did a double take when he saw Ben all over Michelle's friend Amy. He tapped Jack's shoulder and pointed them out to him. They both agreed this was very good.

"Fuck Tony, they are both so full on. Do you think they have forgotten they are in public?" They were both laughing.

"Alcohol is very good at helping you forget little details like that."

They headed over near the dance floor looking for Michelle and everyone else. Tony found Michelle sitting at a table with Chris, his brother Jeff, Lisa, Jo and Emma. They were all laughing hysterically, Tony could tell Michelle was drunk. He smiled when her eyes lit up when she saw him. He circled the table so he was behind Michelle. She turned her head to the side to see him when she felt his chin on her shoulder. She moved down the bench a little so he could sit next to her.

"My Almeida man! I've missed you, where you been hiding at?"

"You Chelle.." He leant in letting his lips be only inches from hers. "Are just too adorable." He kissed her sweetly. They kept it very brief for the sake of everyone else sitting around them.

They all started talking about Ben and Amy. Apparently in over an hour now they had barely even come up for air. Tony and Michelle decided it would be great if two of their friends got together.

Tony watched Michelle, she was the life of the table. She seemed to have an endless stream of very funny one liner's. She had everybody in fits of laughter. She was just so animated and excitable, everyone was drawn to her. Tony felt so proud that she was there with him.

It was nearing 3am and just about everybody had headed home. Jack had only left about 5 minutes ago and so it was Tony, Michelle, Amy and Ben left. The pub was still packed and heaps of people were dancing along with the band. Amy and Ben were off in a corner somewhere talking.

"Dance with me Almeida?"

"I can't dance Chelle." The truth be told he always felt like a nervous wreck dancing, his body just wasn't good at the whole thing.

"Awwe come on Tony, you don't even really need to dance, just come up with me, please..."

"Alright, but it is your fault when I make a fool of myself."

Michelle hugged him in excitement and then led him out to the floor. As soon as he got out there his entire body noticeably went stiff. There was another guy on the floor too that looked just as uncomfortable as Tony, 'at least I'm not on my own' he thought. Looking around though he noticed that no one was looking at anyone else, everyone was stuck in their own little worlds. More than half the couple's on the floor were kissing..

As Tony just stood there like a telegraph pole Michelle danced next to him. She began to slide her body up and down his. She was sexy dancing with him. He looked down at her and was blown away by how sexy she looked. She had one leg in between his and the other leg was on the outside of his. She pushed her body tightly into his and began to move herself up and down his body. She slightly moved from side to side, all of her movements were in time with the music being played. She looked at him seductively.

Tony forgot where he was, he was completely mesmerised by her and how good she was making his entire body feel. "Ahh Chelle...." She spun her body around so she was behind him, she did the same thing – she even massaged his entire arms when she lowered her body. He looked down at his stomach and chest and watched her hands move all over him. They moved down over his hips and the tops of his thighs. "Chelle..." She moved her body around again so that this time her back was pressed in tightly to his front. She moved from side to side and up and down. His hands went around her waist and traced her pant line.

Michelle went to spin around again but Tony stopped her and kept her close with his arms around her. "You can't move Chelle."

"How come? Can't I turn to my front so I can see you?"

"You can't move at all. You ummm.......you turned me on a little too much.......It's very obvious....I don't want everyone to see."

Michelle rubbed his arms, and pushed her back even more into him.

"Chelle, what are you trying to do to me?"

"Follow my lead Almeida." She started walking off the dance floor slowly and he kept his arms wrapped tightly around her and followed, they must have looked funny but every 2nd person did in this place anyways. She headed straight for the side door and led him out the back of the pub to an alley way which was completely empty. Tony finally let go and Michelle turned around.

"I like dancing with you Michelle."

"That's good because you are the best partner!"

He leaned in and kissed her. "Can I take you home now Chelle?"

"I think you had better..."

**Please review and let me know what you think - if you want me to continue...thanks!!**


	17. chapter 17

"Chelle.......hey beautiful......Chelle." She opened her eyes to see Tony sitting over her on the bed. Her first thought was of how attracted to him she was. She could tell how deeply he was looking at her, a little smile began to slowly spread across his face and then he began to stroke her cheek gently with his thumb. She allowed her eyes to close for a few moments just to soak in how good his touch felt. She ran her hand up to cover his and then directed his hand to her lips. Michelle's eyes opened and closed as she ever so sweetly kissed his hand. Tony was taking a mental picture of Michelle running her lips over his hand. Nothing in the world could have deterred his attention away from her. He caught her gaze and they stared into each other's eyes. Tony couldn't help but smile when she stopped kissing his hand and began to give him one of her gorgeous cheeky smiles.

"Almeida man, I am just so attracted to you."

His smile doubled and he felt his stomach flip. "I am mesmerized by you Chelle, you are absolutely stunning." He leant in toward her so that their lips were only inches apart. "God...I love you."

"I love you Tony." She kissed him. It was sweet and tender.

After a couple minutes he pulled back but once their lips had parted he realized he wasn't ready for it to be over yet. He took her lips back and groaned when she tugged on his bottom lip and then pushed her tongue into his mouth. As they tilted their heads to the opposite side Tony put his hand to her cheek. Her arms moved around his neck and pulled him down to her. Michelle sighed his name when he pressed his body into hers, she loved it when his body covered hers.

Eventually Tony raised his body and sat back up next to Michelle. "As hard as it is to pull myself off you, I have to because I've got some breakfast here for us."

"You do? What time is it?"

"It's 2pm. We didn't get to sleep until like 7 though, I just got up like an hour ago." He grabbed a huge tray that he had put on his cabinet and bought it over to the bed. Michelle sat up and he put it in the middle of the bed and then sat down as well. He had made them pancakes with syrup, strawberries and yogurt and coffee.

"Wow....you put me to shame! Did you seriously make these pancakes?"

He laughed, "I seriously did."

"Thank you Tony, this is just perfect. No one has ever made me breakfast in bed before."

"I don't know how that is possible."

Michelle was smothering her pancake with maple syrup. "What do you mean?"

"Chelle I just don't understand how you haven't been snatched up yet. How did I get so lucky as to end up with you in my arms?" He bit his lower lip. "Michelle how many relationships have you had?" Tony knew he wasn't going to like hearing her answers but he wanted to know.

She immediately became a little blush and nervous. "Since I left high school I've been in 4 relationships." She didn't offer any more information than he had asked for.

"Do you mind telling me about them? Like why they ended, who were you with....that kind of thing."

"Ok.....Ummmm, Well there was Jason. That lasted like a year. He went away to a different college so that was it...."

Tony jumped in straight away. "Were you guys happy? Was it hard when he left?"

"I guess we were but we grew apart really quickly. He should've just been a friend all along. I hope this doesn't sound bad but it was more of a relief when it ended."

Tony smiled, it was easy to hear about a boyfriend like that!

"Then there was Tim followed by Michael – I went out with them both for about 7 months. Tim was first and then about 3 months after we broke up I went out with Michael. I ended them when I caught them cheating."

Tony held her hand. "I'm sorry Chelle, that's horrible. What a couple of idiots!"

"Yeah....I just don't care anymore. Wasn't like I loved either of them and we really didn't go out for that long."

Tony squeezed her hand. "And the 4th ....this was your last relationship right?"

Michelle noticeably calmed up. "Ummm, his name was Mark."

He used a very gentle voice. "What happened with Mark Chelle?"

"He was a bastard..."

"How long were you with him? Why was he a bastard?"

Tony could see Michelle's entire glow disappeared when this Mark guy was bought up. She was fidgeting and it seemed like she was having a hard time looking Tony in the eyes.

"2 years. I don't know, he just wasn't too nice. Ummmm what about you?"

He shook his head. "I'd like you to talk to me about this Chelle. 2 years is a long time, you must have cared for him at some point."

She was almost defensive. "Maybe....I was stupid, I wish I never met him."

"What did he do to you?" Tony knew it was going to be bad, he hadn't expected anything like this to come up. She seemed very hesitant.

"He had a shocking, short temper." Michelle had no idea how Tony would react when he found out what Mark had been like.

Tony moved the tray to the side and slid up closer to Michelle. "Did he ever hit you Michelle?"

She couldn't look at him. "I really don't want to talk about this, please can we just drop it?"

"I can't drop it Chelle....I need to know what happened. You can tell me anything..."

Michelle stared at the bed, she continuously tapped her finger on the covers. Michelle was so close to tears. She knew if she opened her month she would cry. Sensing how upset she was getting, Tony stroked her arm and tried to encourage her. "Hey...its ok....you can tell me sweetheart."

"It wasn't a healthy...."

Tony cut her off. "Did he hit you?"

Tony watched as she slowly nodded her head. His stomach sank as she confirmed what he had been dreading hearing. Confusion flooded his mind of how anyone could ever lay a finger on Michelle like that. "Chelle..."

Her head remained down and she spoke with an assertive tone as if she was making sure Tony completely understood and believed what she said. "It's not like that. I mean I used to always do the wrong things and he was just teaching me." Tony was horrified over what she had just said.

"Please tell me you are not serious. There is no way you really think that."

Michelle went to get out of the bed but Tony grabbed her and pulled her body into his. Once she realized he wasn't going to let her go anywhere she finally answered him. "What else was I meant to think?"

"How many times did this happen? Had you had a fight?"

"I don't know.....it was just if I said or did the wrong thing or didn't give him what he wanted. It doesn't matter Tony."

He kept his grip tight around her. "It matters everything Michelle. It's almost like you think this was all ok...."

"Cause I know I deserved it. Look he wasn't like you Tony."

Tony shifted them around so that they were facing each other. "What the fuck makes you think you deserved something like that? This all makes me sick."

"Because he told me. I'm sorry you feel sick, I told you I shouldn't tell you...."

Tony slammed his hands on the side of the bed and stood up. He rubbed the side of his face roughly and began to pace the room. He wasn't yelling but his voice was very loud and angry. "Because he told you....do you know how fucked up that sounds Michelle? Of course you should have told me, I need to know this shit."

"Of course I know how messed up it was Tony but.....but......but he was a lot bigger and stronger than me, I never knew what to do..."

He looked at her small thin frame. It was frightening to think that someone was taking advantage of her because he could over power her. He didn't think anything else had ever made him feel angrier. He was surprised how instantly he become totally over protective of her. "Why did you stay with him? Why didn't you leave the first time he touched you?"

"I tried....." She looked up at Tony who was studying her. Both of his fists were clenched shut, his eyes were watery and glazed over – she could see how deeply he was breathing. "Things were worse when I tried to leave."

He paced the room again rubbing his face. "You know what I don't understand....Look how angry you have been over how Nina treated me. You got so upset at how she use to speak to me. You've done everything possible to boost my confidence and make me feel good about myself because of what she did. Now I find out about this.....SHIT!"

Michelle wasn't sure what to say. She wondered if this meant that Tony couldn't accept everything she had said to him now. "So.....it changes nothing. Just because I had a bad relationship doesn't mean I can't hate what Nina did to you."

"Michelle he beat you. He laid he God damn hands on you. He hurt you. I'll kill him, who the hell is this guy?"

"What are you going to do? Go beat the shit out of him?"

Michelle just about had a heart attack when Tony grabbed his shoes and started pulling them on. He raised his voice at her. "WHO IS HE?"

"I can't believe this. I should never have said a damn thing. Why did you push me to talk about this?"

Tony stopped and watched as Michelle began to cry. It made him stop for a few moments and actually think about everything for a moment. He couldn't stand seeing her upset, it made him feel sick. "Chelle I should know about this....It's my right to know, I hate that I didn't know about this a long time ago. It's so important that I know everything like this Chelle."

"Why? So you can feel disappointed and angry with me?"

He sat back on the bed next to her. "I'm not disappointed or angry with you sweetheart, it's this guy – and I hate him for what he did to you. I need to know baby so I can understand everything better. I mean now I really know how important it is that I make you feel very safe in my arms. No one is ever going to hurt you ever again."

"I'm ok, really. Once I started my training I learnt very quickly that I didn't have to put up with that crap and I could defend myself. He use to scare me so much but as soon as I actually stood up to him I realized how weak and pathetic he really was."

Tony took her hand. "Chelle I completely freaked out hearing you say about deserving it. That breaks my heart."

"I just, well.....I don't know. You are so different from a lot of guys I have known. He was such a jerk. After awhile I just started to believe all the things he would say."

Tony lent over Michelle with a hand on either side of her body. He kissed her gently on the lips. "Well that's never going to happen again. I think it is proving just how perfect we are for each other." He lifted his body up and over so he could cover her body with his. She wrapped her hands around his back as he kissed her neck. Slowly he moved to her lips, he pushed his tongue into her mouth and they began to kiss passionately. As there bodies pressed into each other they both groaned and intensified the kiss.

Eventually Michelle broke the kiss. "Hey.....what about my breakfast?"

Tony got up and checked it. "Pancakes are stone cold and so are the coffees."

"That bites, I wanted that so much."

Tony gave her a cheeky smile. "Sorry, I kind of ruined your nice breakfast in bed by chucking a mental. How about you hop up and I'll take you out for a huge meal – your choice?"

"You are on Almeida man. Just give me a few minutes to look presentable."

Tony took Michelle to a restaurant by the water. The sat out on the balcony and took over 2hrs there as they got so caught up in chatting. Tony spent the entire time playing footsies with her and holding her hand across the table when ever he could. Afterwards they walked hand in hand down a few blocks checking out all the different shops.

Tony dragged Michelle into a sports memorabilia store. "I love this store so much. I could seriously buy everything in this place." As they walked around he explained which things he liked and why. Michelle was just enjoying watching him get so excited over everything. Tony found a huge Chicago Cubs framed team photo. It was autographed by the entire club. He stared at it forever, "wow it's beautiful."

Michelle had to laugh, "That's beautiful?"

"Chelle it's got everyone in it, it has autographs from all of them and even the photo is like a private club picture. It's gotta be like 70 inches long and the frame is just great quality." The shop attendant walked up to them. "Can I help you?"

"How much is this framed picture?"

"$1200."

Tony thanked him and then turned back to Michelle. She looked very surprised. "I can't believe how much it is for a picture, you would really have to be a true fan to get that."

Tony was nodding his head. "It is worth every single cent. I mean look at it.....it is perfect!"

They then walked up to a shoe store and went in so Tony could try on some new sneakers. Michelle picked out 7 or 8 pairs for him to try on. Whilst he was doing that she excused herself saying that she was going to the bathroom and would be back in a minute.

Michelle went straight back to the Sports store and bought Tony the framed photo. She would never ever normally spend that much money on anything but she didn't even have to think twice when she saw the excitement in his eyes as he had been looking at it. She knew how much he would love it. The guy looked surprised at her that she had come back to get it. He wrapped it up in bubble wrap and put it in a protective box. She lugged it up to the shoe store and got there just as Tony was walking out.

He looked at her completely confused as he watched her try to carry this huge parcel. "I thought you went to the bathroom?"

She smiled for him and then kissed his lips quickly and tenderly. "Actually I just wanted to pick this up for you."

"For me? What is it?"

She handed him the package. "I think it is too hard to unwrap here because you would have to wrap up again before we go anywhere. Do you want me to tell you what it is?"

Tony nodded and smiled. "I am so intrigued. I can't believe you got me something."

"I got you that framed Cubs picture that you liked at the sports store."

His mouth dropped open and his eyebrows went to the middle of his forehead. "What? No way......you have got to be joking!!!" He eyes darted between her and the package over and over. Michelle just stood smiling and nodding her head at him. "Michelle it was $1200...."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I would pay a million times that just to see the glow you have got in your eyes."

"Holy Shit......I can't except this, you can't spend this much money on me."

"Tony, I want you to have it. Forget about the money, ok?"

He pulled her into him and kissed her passionately. Even though they were in the middle of the street he pushed his tongue into her mouth and let it roughly explore her mouth. They tilted their heads the opposite way and Michelle sucked on his top lip while he went for her bottom lip. As she went to pull back before they parted he sucked on her tongue. "Thank you, oh my God I don't even know what to say......I love you."

"I think it will look great up on your wall."

Tony was so animated, "Great?! It's going to look fucking amazing! Chelle you are just so amazing. This is the best present I have ever received – Wow.....I just can't believe it."

They hugged. "Tony should we put it in the car so we don't have to lug it around with us?"

"Ok – I so don't want to let it go though."

They took the picture and put it safely in the trunk. Afterwards they returned to the shops and kept on going. They were glued to each other the entire time, Tony's arms barely left her shoulders.

Michelle spotted a pet store across the street and took off grabbing Tony's hand and charged over to the shop. She started gushing over a little black and white puppy straight away. She picked it up and held it in her arms and laughed as it licked her cheek and hands. "Awww he's so adorable. I love it Tony!!"

"He is pretty cute." Tony just thought Michelle was adorable playing with the dog. He laughed as she put on different voices while talking to it.

"I've always wanted a puppy."

Tony had an idea. "Why don't we get it Chelle?"

Michelle gave him a look as if to say 'Are you serious'. "What are you talking about?"

Tony put his arm around her, "come on Chelle, why not?"

"I'm not allowed pets at my apartment."

Tony kissed her forehead, "I am."

"What are you going to keep him at your place? Do you want a dog?"

Tony took a deep breath as he took the plunge. "I want you. If you want the puppy then maybe you will move in with me and we can look after him together?"

She almost dropped the dog. She was completely shocked. She put the dog back into the cage and turned into his body. "You want to live with me Tony?"

His hands found her waist. "I know it is quick, but I've never been more sure about anything. I've wanted you for so long Chelle and now that I have you, I want you all the time. I'd do anything to be able to wake up next to you every day."

Michelle's stomach was full of butterflies. Happy tears began to roll down her cheeks, freaking Tony out. "Chelle don't cry.....I'm sorry...."

She threw her arms around his neck, "No, they are happy tears. I can't believe it, are you serious? You and me living together? But Tony I don't know how to cook...."

Tony laughed, "Honey, I wasn't asking you so you would cook for me. I can take care of that. I want you and me together. Please Chelle....live with me?"

She pulled his head down and when she was just inches from his mouth, "Yes....yes Tony, hell yes." She kissed him passionately.

**Please review if you would like me to keep going.......thanks**


	18. chapter 18

**Sorry it took me awhile to update - I've been slack!**

**Anyways I hope you like this chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!!**

Michelle had been on the phone to her brother Danny, for almost an hour. She had been sitting on Tony's balcony whilst chatting and once she hung up she went to find Tony. She found him sitting in his office on the floor staring at his newly framed picture on the wall. This was where Michelle left him when she answered the call. He grinned at her as she stood in the doorway and motioned for her to come sit next to him. Michelle took Tony's hand and sat next to him.

"Want to look at the picture with me Chelle?"

Michelle laughed. "You haven't had enough yet?"

"Are you kidding me? I can throw out my TV now, this is all I need."

"Well I'll tell you, if you want me living here with you then I wouldn't be throwing out the TV just yet for this picture."

He leaned over and kissed her temple. "You just don't appreciate good artwork when you see it!" They both laughed and kissed. "When do we get to start moving you in? We should make sure we are completely settled before we pick up the puppy next week." (The puppy was only 5 weeks old so they have to wait until it is 6 weeks before they can take it home)

"Let's do it tomorrow.....it's not like I've got work!!"

Michelle was joking with Tony but his smile quickly disappeared as soon as the mention of her not working came up. "I'm so sorry Chelle."

Michelle picked her body up and pushed herself down on Tony so he was forced to the ground on his back. She lay on top of him and planted playful sloppy kisses on his neck, "Sweetie I'm just joking. I'd take moving in with you over anything in the world." Although she surprised him, he just loved it. He wrapped his arms around her, stretched his legs out straight and held her so all of her weight was on top of him. Tony wasn't sure what to even say so he just soaked in how amazing he felt with her. He kept his arms tight around her keeping her body pressed as close as possible to him. She brought her arms in close and pulled the top of his shirt down so she could kiss his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the floor. "I'm so in love with you Tony...." He went to respond but she placed a finger on his lips so that she could continue, "you are the best man I know and you will never know how happy you make me." She stared at him for a moment as he tried to swallow her words. She lift her upper body up enough that she could pull his shirt up and kiss his stomach and chest, "God you are sexy." She continued to kiss him – her words and her touch made him groan.

Tony was going to flip her over but every time he went to do it he stopped himself so he could enjoy her attention to him for a moment longer. Shivers ran down his spine as her tongue slid over his body and her breath trailed her track. Her words made him feel like king of the world. After a lifetime spent doubting himself and hiding behind a closed off defensive wall he allowed himself to feel not only good about himself but also so excited for his future....their future. He wondered how in just a short time his life had taken such an amazing turn.

Her cell phone rang out a couple of times and when it started for the 3rd time then Michelle figured it had to be important enough that she should answer.

"Dessler."

"Michelle, it's Brad Hammond."

Michelle felt her whole stomach drop. Without realizing it she slipped off Tony and sat with her legs crossed and her head down in her other hand. "Yes Brad."

Tony's eyes rolled hearing Michelle say Brad's name. He swore under his breath repeatedly that Hammond had managed to ruin another precious moment with Michelle. He sat himself up behind her and ran his hands across her back for comfort as she spoke on the phone.

"To start with Michelle, I apologies for what has happened."

Michelle let out a loud sigh at his pathetic attempt at an apology. Although he was no longer her boss and she could really say whatever she wanted to him she found it difficult to say what she really wanted too. Hammond still intimidated her and her natural instinct was to bite her tongue around him. "Yeah..."

"I would like to offer you a position back at CTU, I know you have always been interested in tech field ops and I would be happy to work something out with this."

There was silence as Michelle tried to compute what was being said to her. It hadn't crossed her mind that this would happen, especially after how things had gone down with Tony as well.

"Michelle.....would you like to come down so we can discuss this further?"

Michelle stood up and began to pace the room back and forth. "Ummm.....well like what exactly are we talking about here Brad?"

"Division has been looking at having two sections within tactical, you would have a post in floor management at the same time running suited field assignments within your section. It is a great opportunity Michelle and the pay will be significantly better."

Michelle wasn't sure how to respond because she honestly didn't know how she felt. She had never been chased before or given an opportunity like this and that was exciting, on the other hand she really wasn't sure it was what she wanted anymore. "I'll have to call you back."

Hammond seemed relieved that she hadn't knocked him back straight off the bat. "That is fine, I'd like to hear from you by 5pm tomorrow though. Are you with Tony?"

"Yeah..."

"May I have a word?"

Michelle didn't say goodbye, she simply handed Tony the phone and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Tony looked angry, he had guessed they were offering Michelle her job back. He took the phone and began the same process with Hammond that she had just been through.

It was simple in Tony's mind, he already had a new position lined up, one that he was excited for. It took a repeated effort to make Brad realize that he had moved on from CTU and would not consider coming back. Tony had no trouble in being short with him, he no longer respected Brad and wasn't interested in dealing with him anymore.

When he hung up the phone he took a moment to himself before he went to find Michelle, he needed to approach the situation calmly. At this point he didn't realize what Michelle had been offered, he was assuming it was just her old position. He hated the idea of Michelle returning to CTU, especially when he wouldn't be there to care and watch out for her but he knew that had to be her decision and he couldn't make it for her. She had been offered a second chance and he didn't want to be the cause of any unhappiness or resentment with Michelle. He slowly made his way down the hallway to the kitchen where he found her standing still leaning against the bench facing the opposite way.

"What are you thinking baby?"

Michelle spun around. "I'm not sure? I take it you were offered a position as well."

He nodded his head. "Yes, but I flatly refused. I am happy with the plan I already have."

"What should I do Tony?"

"I can't answer that sweetheart. You have to do what will make you happy. You know I'll support anything you want to do."

"It is a good opportunity Tony..."

This confused him. "What do you mean? Isn't it the same position?"

A small smile was very close to appearing across her face. "No, they offered me a promotion, better money and a much more senior position. I would spend time in the field though..."

Tony felt his heart drop and sharp pains in his stomach. "Field?"

Michelle nodded her head. With each passing minute she made up her mind that she would refuse the offer but she still needed to talk it out. Tony had been right the other day, it was time to start thinking about a family and a life that could revolve around that. All of a sudden having someone like Tony made field work seem a hell of a lot less appealing – building a life with him would be a dream, one she wouldn't want cut short.

When Tony was hurting usually it would come across as if he was angry. He had gone into the room with full intention of being very calm but he had been taken by surprise hearing Michelle had been offered Field Ops. "Field Ops..."

"Yes Tony, not all the time but I would be doing some."

Tony lowered his head and spoke with sarcasm, "Well isn't that nice of Hammond..."

"Don't be like that Tony, I want to know what you want me to do."

"Michelle I can't tell you what to do, it isn't my decision. It's not my position to tell you what to do."

"Why Tony? I asked you because I want to know what you think."

Michelle felt like Tony was being standoffish. He was keeping his distance from her, his whole body had become very stiff. She walked up to him and put her hand out and he didn't take it – she couldn't tell if he hadn't noticed it or if he was ignoring it.

"You tell me what you want Michelle. Do you want to go back to CTU? Do you want to do field ops?"

"Not really....It's a job Tony, I can't afford to not be working. It is kind of a good opportunity don't you think?"

Tony raised his head and caught eye contact with her. "Don't worry about the money Chelle, I will look after you. You never have to work if you don't want to – I will support you, I want to."

Michelle reached out to his chest and held on to him by his t-shirt. "You are amazing....I know you don't like the idea of Field Ops Tony."

"No I don't. It doesn't matter what I want though Chelle." He slowly raised his hand to hers. He found himself almost distancing himself a little from her just at the thought of losing her. He could imagine the pain and it made him feel very defensive.

Michelle couldn't understand why Tony was so closed off and wouldn't tell her what he wanted. "I don't understand you Tony, it matters everything how you feel about this. I assumed we would make these kind of decisions together from now on."

"I don't want you to resent me Michelle. You can't imagine how guilty I've felt about what happened to you with work already, I don't want me or our relationship to be the cause of any unhappiness for you. I feel selfish pushing what I want onto you."

Michelle moved her hand to his cheek. "I wouldn't resent you Tony. I already know how I feel pretty much feel, I know from us talking before that you wouldn't be happy about this. What you want is the most important thing to me, I need you to tell me what you want me to do."

Tony took a step back from her allowing her hand to drop away from him. After staring at her for a moment he walked past her and began pacing the room as he rubbed the side of his face. "Alright Chelle. I'd be really nervous if you took the offer. I'd be scared as hell every day you went to work. I hate the idea of you even having to work with people like Hammond again that has showed you such little respect. I don't want to lose you....I can't lose you."

Michelle was nodding her head along with him as he spoke. "You won't..."

Tony was loud and assertive. "I CAN'T LOSE YOU." He walked back to her quickly and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He passionately kissed her neck repeatedly. Michelle pulled her head back so they could kiss, her tongue entered his mouth roughly and she pushed her body firmly into his.

Tony continued kissing her cheek and chin as she spoke to him. "You won't baby, I've thought a lot about what you said to me yesterday and I don't want to do anything that would risk being able to be with you. I think I want to look into some different avenues, maybe even the Pentagon thing I was telling you about."

He was smiling as he kissed her, once she had stopped speaking he moved back to her mouth. He began backing her up against the wall. They were so intense with one another. Tony's hands explored her body and he bent his knees a little to even their height. He kept his lips just inches from hers, they were both panting heavily. "You have to know Chelle that if you wanted the job and that's what made you happy I'd support you 100, I'll be behind you no matter what."

He picked her up and carried her to his kitchen table where he sat her down on it. She was perched on the end and he stood between her legs.

"I'm nervous about everything Tony. I want a job that utilizes my training but not like CTU. What if I can't get something else? This is all so new to me, I don't even know where to start..."

"Honey relax. You will end up in something a mile ahead of CTU, I just know it. We will get through this together, I can help you look and get your CV prepared and updated. You have so much to offer, I don't think you are going to have trouble finding something else. There is no rush though, I want you to take your time to find something that is right for you."

Michelle developed a cheeky grin, "a 'safe' job is what you mean, right?"

Tony kissed her smile. "That's right, and something that leaves you lots of time for me." They both giggled.

Thinking of nothing but her future with Tony the question rolled off her tongue before she even realized. "How many kids do you want Tony?" As soon as she heard it she tried to back track – she didn't want him to think she was just presuming anything or scare him off. "I mean like....well you know...with the right person and when and if you have them..."

He was amused with her frustration. He stopped her talking by leaning in and sucking on her bottom lip. His face broadcasted his enthusiasm for this topic. "3 Chelle, but I am flexible and that's only if I get to have them with my right person..."

He began to playfully lean over her so her body was pushed down onto her back on the table. He had to use his knee to climb up onto the table so that he could reach her full stretched body. "As many as YOU want sweetheart is good with me, as long as they get all of your good looking genes...."

Michelle was ecstatic at his forwardness over their future together. Topics like this is like pulling out teeth with most guys, it was an amazing feeling to know that was how deeply he looked at her. It also made her feel so secure knowing he was on the same wavelength as her. "Do you really think about all that stuff with me Tony?"

"How could I not? I mean, wow....I'd be the luckiest guy in the world. I know you are the only one for me Chelle and I thought about all this plenty – even before we got together!"

She cupped his face with her hands, "you are going to be an amazing Dad. Wow you so just made my mind race...."

"What are you thinking Chelle?"

"That we should probably practice....." They both laughed and basically at the same time they licked their own top lip.

"I won't argue with that..." He pushed his body firmly into hers making her groan. Hearing her respond like that only encouraged him to continue...


	19. chapter 19

Tony was making dinner for them both whilst Michelle sat at the kitchen bench making her way through her 3rd glass of red wine.

"You sure you don't want me to help Tony? I can do something."

"You just relax beautiful, you've taken care of me so much lately that the least I can do is make you dinner."

Michelle kept picking at the food and eating it. At least 5 times now Tony had told her to stop eating the food but she kept sneaking it. She was trying to be sneaky by nicking a piece every time he turned around to the stove but this time he spun back around quickly and caught her red handed. "You think I didn't know what you are up to?"

"I can't help it, it is too yummy." She answered with a cheeky grin.

"Maybe I will have to give you a job then just to keep you occupied until everything is ready."

Michelle a little tipsy, stood. "At your service Almeida."

Tony was laughing, he loved how much she could make him laugh. "The water is almost boiled, how about you cook the rice for us?"

"Can do stud." As she walked past the counter to go to the stove she grabbed a last mushroom and shoved it into her mouth.

Tony grabbed her and pulled her in, "if you hadn't just called me 'stud' you would really be in trouble now." He kissed her passionately but quickly before releasing her.

He watched as she pulled out the rice and a measuring cup. She struggled with opening the bag and in the end resorted to ripping it open with her teeth. Unaware he was fixated on her she went about her merry way. She held her finger to the line where she wanted to fill it to and then began to pour the rice. With the bag only being held in one hand and her concentrating more on making sure she poured to the right spot the entire bag flopped over spilling the entire bag of rice onto the counter and floor. "Shit! Sorry Tony."

All he could do was laugh. He picked up the now full measuring cup and emptied some of it out into a bag until it reached the line she was going for, he handed it to her. "Here you go sweetheart."

Michelle poured it into the pot and then started with Tony to clean up. Trading flirty smiles made the whole task a lot more enjoyable. They chatted while they worked and cleaned. Tony moved over from beer to the red with Michelle. She was behind him at the stove as he had his back to her cutting up things on the counter. Michelle walked up and ran her hands up underneath his top all over his chest. She pushed her body into the back of his. He sighed loudly for her. "That feels so nice Chelle..."

At his reaction she used her hands harder on him. He dropped the food and placed one hand over hers and showed her how much firmer she could actually press into him. It was Michelle's turn to moan as she took over rubbing his chest just how he asked for it. His whole body began to sway a little from side to side. "Oh God Chelle you make me feel so good."

He watched her hands slide down his chest and stomach to the top of his track pants. He took in a huge deep breath as her hands slipped inside and gently ran over him and the tops of his thighs. His mouth dropped open and he sighed as he exhaled. He couldn't speak instead he offered a string of grunts and groans. Michelle continued for a moment before pulling her hands back up to his chest and then away from him. He spun around straight away putting his hands around her waist so that she couldn't go anywhere.

Michelle looked up with a very cheek seductive smile. "I've got to check the rice."

Tony shook his head slightly as he smiled. "What are you trying to do to me?"

"I'm not quite sure what you mean." She held her hands up laughing cheekily.

Tony laughed as he looked at her adoringly. "Ok, ok....you had better check your rice then."

Michelle went to turn but Tony was looking at her so funny that she didn't want to. "You look dodgy Tony, what are you going to do?"

He just smiled all sweet and innocent. "Nothing sweetheart."

Michelle stirred her rice and tried to keep a close eye on Tony who went back to cutting everything up. She filled his glass up with more wine and then her own, they kept trading sly smiles at one another, Michelle knew he was going to get her back for what she had done.

The wine was making Michelle even more bubbly than usual. "Tony, how do I know when the rice is done?"

He turned to her and scooped up some. It was so over cooked it had turned into an almost runny clag. He looked over at Michelle at the counter as she looked at him with proud eyes. There was not any way he could get away with telling her she had cooked it right. "Ummm Chelle, I think it has cooked a little too long."

"No way, let me see." She jumped off the counter and scooped up some of her own. Tony ran his hand back and forth across her back. "For shits sake! I told you I can't cook. I've totally stuffed up dinner."

"It's ok baby, its no big deal....we can just cook more."

Michelle's body slumped, she gulped down some more wine. "Sorry Tony. I'm really just no good in the kitchen."

Tony pulled her in close to him. "Don't apologize. You just need someone to teach you, and then you would be fine. Here lets make the next lot together."

"You don't care?"

Tony ran his hand through her hair and rested it on her cheek. "Why the hell would I care? You worry too much sweetie." She began to smile for him. "That's better Chelle ....now, can I have a kiss?"

Michelle reached up and kissed him tenderly on the lips. She turned back to the counter, "Ok, so show me how long to cook this stuff for."

As she reached the counter Tony stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her body back up straight into his and she lifted her arm up around his neck. With her body stretched out in his grip he used one hand to hold her tight, the other to run all over her body and then he began roughly kissing her neck. He wasted no time in slipping his hand under her top and up over her bra. She closed her eyes, breathed heavily and tightened her grip on his neck. "Tony..."

He sucked on her neck hard enough to leave hickeys and pressed into her even firmer with his hands as they ran down her body and circled the top of her thighs. He could feel her legs go weak because he held more of her weight in his hands. He kissed her hard and then whispered into her ear, "Do you like this Chelle?" He kissed her even harder.

"So much Tony." Her body squirmed in his driving him crazy. All of a sudden he completely released her. He took a step back. He was getting her back for what she had done to him but he hadn't counted on getting so turned on himself. It had been next to impossible to pull himself away from her and even now he was refraining from just grabbing her again and continuing.

She turned around. He tried to catch his breath as he smiled at her, he threw his hands in the air mimicking her earlier, "What?"

She was still panting but she laughed. "This is my payback huh?"

He smiled cheekily. "Payback? I'm not quite sure what you mean?"

This made them both laugh. Michelle ran her finger up and down his chest. "Ok, you taught me my lesson.....I'm sorry I teased you before."

Tony took a step in closer to her. "To be honest that just felt like I was teasing myself as well - pulling away from you was a lot harder than it was meant to be."

She looked at him seductively. "How about we make it up to each other?"

"Ok." He picked Michelle up and put her down on the counter in front of him. She wrapped her legs around him and he leaned in closer to her lips. "Now where was I?"

Michelle took his hand and placed it at the top of her thigh, she then took the other and placed it on her stomach. "About here."

He ran his hand to the inside of her thigh. "I thought so..."

As they held eye contact Michelle began to undo the buttons to her own shirt. Tony's eyes shifted to her hands and became fixated on them as they finished the rest and then slipped the top off her shoulders. Tony bit his lower lip and smiled, "you're so beautiful Chelle."

He leaned in and kissed her chest as he removed her bra. She rolled her head back and closed her eyes. The more he touched her and the harder he kissed her the louder she groaned.

He paused and waited for her to open her eyes. "I need you Chelle..."

"I'm yours Tony."

He opened his mouth and grunted. His hands slid underneath her and then he picked her up and carried her over to the couch in the next room. Tony watched her face as he carried her, he was blown away by how gorgeous she was. He wondered why he was so lucky to have found someone just so perfect, every minute he spent with her felt treasured. He knew he could never live without her by his side, she had come to mean more to him than he thought possible. He adored every single thing about her, his only fears were that he would be enough for her. He found himself constantly hoping that he would be able to make her as happy as she made him. Not only that but he hoped he was a good lover to her. She blew him away with just her amazing body, he found himself being turned on all of the time around her no matter what they were doing. Earlier that day she had passed him to go to the bathroom, she stopped in front of him and without a word began to rub a pen smudge off his face. She was so gentle in her touch and she gave him the sweetest smile. That was all it took and as soon as she turned for the bathroom he had to sit down and start thinking about baseball. He had had to think about baseball numerous times everyday.

Tony lowered Michelle onto the couch. He stood in front of her and removed all of his clothes. She bit her bottom lip and then licked her top one as she watched him. She gave him all the confidence he needed when she not only groaned while looking him up and down but also said his name loudly. As he bent down to begin removing her pants she looked at him so seductively.... "I'm all yours Tony." This made his entire body begin to yearn for her. His heart was pounding and the rest of the world disappeared as it became about nothing but Michelle.

He grabbed at her clothes with impatience, fumbling with buckles and buttons because he wasn't prepared to wait another second to have her. Michelle helped him and once the buttons were undone he pulled her pants off completely and threw them to the ground. He crawled on top of her and then that is when he took a moment to calm down, he looked into her eyes and began to kiss her passionately.

As usual with a little alcohol in her body Michelle had more confidence, especially in bed. As Tony explored her body she expressed how good she was feeling very loudly. Her body kept twitching in his hands and her moaning and calling his name only got louder and louder, Tony thought he was in heaven. Just listening to her had him so riled up and with her body moving like that in his hands he was so excited. To add to this, Michelle asked him what he wanted.

"I want you to sit on my lap Chelle."

Only the sound of their movements and heavy pants could be heard as Tony sat himself on the couch and Michelle sat on his lap facing him. She made love to him and they never wanted it to end. They watched each other's faces, kissed, explored the other's chest and just soaked in how special and amazing they felt.

After they had finally gotten around to finishing cooking dinner they ate and then snuggled up on the couch and watched an old thriller movie. Michelle spent most of the time jumping and squeezing Tony's hand firmly. He enjoyed watching her reactions more than the movie itself.

Afterwards they flicked the TV off and got involved in a deep conversation. They talked about their ambitions and dreams for the future before moving onto discussing their own relationship. As they talked Tony began to trace her stomach very gently with his fingers. He mentioned how after all the crap they had both been through in their lives how lucky they were to end up together. Michelle had started to go a little quiet. He had studied her face enough times over the last year or so that he had become very good at reading it and right now he thought he could that she looked nervous, he asked her. "Are you ok Chelle?"

"I've got butterflies Tony."

"How come you've got those?" He didn't mention that he had them too, that he had them basically every minute he was around her. When she actually touched him, tingles and shiver pounded through his body.

"It's because of your touch."

Tony couldn't believe what a beautiful thing she just said. "What a beautiful thing to tell me Chelle." The more he looked into her eyes though the more he could tell that this was not all that was on her mind. He turned his body on the couch so that he was sitting in facing her with his complete attention. "What else are you thinking Michelle?"

"What's the angriest you have ever been?"

Her question completely took him by surprise. "I'm not really sure, why?"

"Well...what do you do when you are really angry?"

Now her questions were concerning him. "I guess I either yell or go completely silent. That's about it though."

"Ever hit anything?"

He began to fear that he had done something that may have shown her a part of his personality that she was worried about. "Maybe like a wall or kick a chair or something. I've never hit someone like that before Michelle."

"What kind of things disappoint you?"

Tony tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "No more answers Chelle until you tell me what you are thinking."

"Nothing Tony, I'm just learning about you."

Tony didn't like this. "They are not things you need to learn about Michelle, why on earth would you even worry about that stuff?"

"Well it's easier to know what not to do if I know these things."

Everything clicked for Tony. He had certainly seen enough women like Michelle in his time to know what was going on. Michelle was trying to fish these answers out of him because of her ex boyfriend Mark who use to hit her. "Michelle did Mark use to hit you when you disappointed him or made him angry?"

Michelle looked completely shocked that he had said that. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Tony had expected her to become very defensive as soon as he mentioned Mark's name. He felt so grateful that he had pushed her and found out about Mark so that he could recognize all these little things about Michelle and understand them. "Tell me the truth Chelle..."

"Yes."

He thought he would have to push a lot more for that answer. "Do you think I am going to hurt you like that Michelle?"

"No. No that's not it, that's not it at all. You are the opposite to him."

Tony felt relieved. "Does all that still scare you sometimes?"

Tears began to slowly make their way down her cheeks. "I always think about how I am the same person with you as I was with him so how come two people can treat me so differently. I feel like I always feel scared. With him I use to be scared because I was going to be beaten up, with you it's because you are going to leave..."

Tony didn't let her finish, he couldn't stand hearing her talk like that. "I'm never leaving Michelle. Why would you think that?"

"What about when you start seeing in me what Mark saw in me that made him loathe me enough to do what he did?"

Tony felt sick. Obviously she had never really spoken to anyone about this at all, her mind was still poisoned by Mark and how he wanted her to feel. "Michelle you think it was something about you that made him do that?"

Michelle's expression was as if Tony had asked such an obvious question. "Well it's not like he hit anyone else – of course it was me. I saw lots of people piss Mark off, but I was the only one he ever touched....what does that tell you!"

Tony felt like he was treading on thin ice – he knew just how vital it was that he handle this situation right. He couldn't get his head around how anyone could ever hurt his gorgeous girl. His mind was cluttered with images of Michelle hurt and all alone, he wished he had known her then because he was sure he could have picked up what was going on and put a stop to it. Michelle deserved to be saved from the low self-esteem and insecurities this bastard left her with, Tony would do anything to make her see in herself what everyone else saw.

Tony thought about how much it hurt when he thought about Michelle leaving him and all of his fears – he could only imagine what it felt like for her when it was sparked from something like this.

Tony took Michelle's hand, "Come with me." She followed as he led her into his bedroom. He had Michelle climb up onto the bed and get under the covers where he joined her. She lay on her back and Tony lowered his body down onto hers. He sat up again like he had changed his mind. "Michelle will you take the t-shirt off? I want us to be as close to each other as possible – nothing between us." She looked at him confused, other then that he hadn't said anything since her last words about Mark – she had no idea what was going on. She took her top off for him though and lay back down again. Tony crawled on top of her again and their bare skin pressed into each other. He supported himself up by his elbows on either side of her. Their faces were only inches apart.

"I wanted to come in here Michelle like this because I want you to be able to feel how close we are while we talk about this. There is nothing between us, my body is covering yours making you completely safe. I like being this close to your eyes so that I can see what is going on."

"You are so incredibly sweet Tony, in fact you are amazing......but there isn't really much left to say."

"I love you Michelle. You have no idea how painful it is hearing you talk about yourself the way you do. Mark hit you because of his own problems NOT because of anything about you. The reason you were the only one he hit was because you kept taking it, someone else might hit him back and finally if he did it to too many people then he was more likely to be busted for his actions. He was a coward Michelle for what he did to you, nothing more than a pathetic coward. I promise you sweetheart, you never ever deserved to be treated that way..."

"Maybe you think that because of how you feel for me..." Tears were streaming down her face and Tony kept wiping them away gently with his thumbs. His deep dark eyes never left her gaze.

"No honey. My love for you has nothing to do with this right now. You could ask anyone else in your life and they would all agree with me, every single word. Michelle the way he treated you has made you feel this way, but it is wrong. You can never accept anyone who doesn't treat you with the up most respect and love. Do you see what I am saying?"

Michelle slowly nodded her head. "I hear what you are saying Tony and I believe everything you ever tell me but it's hard for me to just change how I feel inside all of a sudden. You make me feel better but I'm not sure how to get rid of these feelings I've had for so long now."

"That's ok Michelle. I know I can't change all of that for you in one night but together we will be able to over time. If you really believe everything I have said then all it will take is a little bit of time before you will begin to see how everyone else sees you. No one is ever going to hurt you again Michelle. I'm never going to leave you – I don't want you to be scared of anything, ok?"

"Ok. I trust you Tony."

"You know what Chelle?"

"What?"

"I get scared to sometimes you know. Actually about the same kind of stuff, its just for different reasons."

"You get scared about me leaving you?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah. I worry about making you as happy as you make me. That I'm enough for you....that I can, you know....satisfy your needs.."

Michelle smiled and Tony was a little confused. "Tony, look what you just did for me – don't you see how amazing you are. You make me happier than I think I've ever been in my entire life. You look after me in a way that makes me feel like the most important person in the world. Everyday you offer me so much, even if it's just a look – its something no one else will ever be able to give to me. You have my heart Tony, I'm not going anywhere." She kissed his cheek and he smiled shyly.

"Tony don't think I forgot your last concern....satisfy my needs huh? Well my need is to be able to be with you and you exceed all expectations when you satisfy that need for me. You are the most amazing lover a woman could ever dream of having. You know how to be everything I want. Your touch drives me insane. You have the sexiest body – every time I look at you I just want to rip your clothes off!"

They both laughed. Tony was going in to kiss Michelle but she had to say one more thing. "I love you." His eyes completely lit up and glowed as he returned her words before kissing her sweetly.

**Thanks so much for all of your reviews, I really appreciate them. Please continue to let me know what you think as it helps me know if I should continue posting here or not. If you want to see anything in my story - let me know. Cheers!**


	20. 20

"Michelle.....Chelle......wake up Chelle...."

Michelle let her eyes open to see Tony sitting over her with a big smile on his face. "Wake up Chelle, its moving day!!"

"Ahh What time is it?"

"5:30am"

Michelle sat up and looked at the clock which did say 5:30am. "You're serious with yourself?"

Tony was basically bouncing off the walls he had so much energy. "The earlier we start then the earlier we finish. We could have you fully moved in by the end of the day!"

Michelle had to laugh at him for being so cute. "Tony I have such little stuff it will take us 2 hours and probably all fit in a couple suitcases. I'm only in a studio remember and I only moved here like 15 months ago."

Tony pulled all of the covers off the bed, she immediately curled up into a tiny little ball. She had fallen asleep in just her underwear and a t-shirt. He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Once he put her down he turned the water on, pulled her top off over her head and she removed her underwear. "If we get done early then we will get to play together as new roomies!"

Michelle stood staring at him still half asleep. He tested the water for her. "That's ready for you..."

Michelle took his hand and stuck out her bottom lip. "You're not going to make me shower all by myself are you?"

"I've already showered, which I now highly regret."

Michelle completely shocked him, she stepped under the water and then wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in under the water with her still fully clothed. His mouth was wide open. She was laughing her head off, "This will teach you for waking me up at this awful hour of the morning!"

Tony pressed her up against the wall and began kissing her passionately without saying a word. His hands explored her entire body desperately making her eyes close and a nervous sigh leave her mouth. She felt him begin to kiss her neck but she couldn't feel his hands on her body anywhere. She opened her eyes to see him fumbling with his own belt and pants, she groaned when she saw him drop them to the ground. He was very turned on. He then looked her in the eyes, they both smiled. He still didn't speak, instead he raised his eyebrows at her as if asking her a question and then pushed himself against her.

Michelle was very turned on by Tony. She knew he was asking her if they could have sex which he had obviously just decided he wanted about 1 minute ago. She looked down at him and then back up into his eyes. She absolutely loved that he was being so full on and direct about what he wanted. She nodded her head for him. He began to kiss her again while he picked her up the tiniest bit and then pushed himself inside her. Michelle watched Tony as he had his eyes closed. She got completely sucked in by the expression on his face. He was biting his bottom lip and he had scrunched his face all up. He picked up his pace which made her groan involuntarily – he obviously liked that because he started to kiss her chest passionately. Michelle felt her body go a little weak because he was making her feel so good. He was grunting now, loudly and his breathing was more like he was panting. She couldn't help herself, she ran her finger nails down his back and yelled, "TONY...Oh my God, Tony!!" He stopped for a second, almost as if to listen to her and then he groaned himself loudly before starting up again, this time harder and faster than he ever had before. He was the most amazing lover, she could not believe how good he was making her feel. Michelle told him repeatedly how good he felt , each time he would groan, pant harder and change his pace.

He told her he was close and she had him open his eyes and look at her. She cupped his face with her hands and when he climaxed they kissed intensely. Afterwards they hugged, it took Tony quite a few minutes to get his breath back. They smiled at one another. "Thanks Chelle....wow"

Michelle was starting to wash her hair as they talked because she didn't want the water running out on her. She gave him a big smile, "You totally took me by surprise Tony!"

Tony laughed. "I surprised myself I think. When you pulled me in with you, just looking at you naked and wet I knew I had to have you. Chelle, I wasn't too rough or full on with you was I?"

Michelle gave him a very cheeky grin. "Not at all, I actually really liked that....you....you having your way with me..."

Tony smiled. "Mmm I like hearing that. God you are beautiful." He pulled her in for a hug. "I love you so much Chelle."

"I love you."

They got ready and headed over to Michelle's apartment, they were there by 7am. They picked up a pile of boxes on the way over. Since it was a studio apartment there was next to no large furniture. They decided to pack up all her bedroom stuff first. Michelle was dumping everything in boxes but Tony kept getting stuck on looking at everything. He had found some of her old primary school pictures and was having a blast going through them.

"Who is this one of Chelle?" He lifted his head to notice she was no longer even in the room anymore. Then he heard her yelling for him from the kitchen.

"Are you ok Chelle?"

"Tony can you please, please come here?"

He ran into the kitchen to find Michelle standing on top of the counter on the other side. "What are you doing?"

Michelle shook her head. "There is a spider down there." She was pointing to the ground.

Tony laughed, he walked over to the tiny spider on the floor. "Chelle, it's the size of your little finger, if that!"

"Can you just kill it, get rid of it please." Her entire body was tense.

"I will, here come on – I'll help you down." He stepped over the spider putting his hands out for her but she stepped back.

"Please get rid of it first Tony."

Tony couldn't stop smiling at her. He stepped on the spider and then picked it up in a tissue and flushed it down the toilet. "I didn't know you were scared of spider's sweetheart. You know how to use a gun yet a tiny little spider freaks you out!"

"Spiders have always scared the crap out of me. They are just so ugly and nasty looking."

He walked back over and put his arms out for her. "It's gone." Michelle climbed into his arms and let him lower her down off the counter. "You feel safe now?"

Michelle kissed him on the cheek. "Yes thank you, so glad you were here!" She headed back to the boxes they had started packing. Tony watched her for a few moments thinking about how adorable she was.

He found the photo he had before and asked Michelle about it again. "Who is this of Chelle?"

Michelle looked at it for a second and then turned away from it. "That's my parents."

"Where are they Chelle? You never talk about them."

Michelle kept piling her boxes high, not stopping for a moment. Tony could tell it was obviously a very touchy subject. "That's because there is nothing to say."

Tony walked over and wrapped his arms right around her forcing her to stop packing. He kissed her firmly on the neck before whispering into her ear. "What happened? Please Chelle?"

"I don't talk about it." She broke out of the hug but then tugged on his hand. "Come on, let's just have fun with all this."

Tony didn't move, he was thinking about how he wanted to handle the situation. On one hand he felt slightly hurt that she wouldn't talk to him about it, he thought they would share everything, there was nothing he wouldn't tell her. He really needed to know at least what the deal was with her father. He wanted to propose to Michelle, as soon as possible and if her father was around he wanted to do the right thing by asking him first. He was actually hoping on making it out to pick up the ring this afternoon, his whole reason for making them get such an early start.

She looked back at him still just standing there, he didn't look happy at all. Michelle hated knowing that was her fault. "I didn't mean to upset you Tony, please don't be angry with me."

"I thought we shared everything Chelle? There's nothing I wouldn't tell you."

"I've given you everything Tony. I've never been more open with anyone." Michelle was fidgeting with her hands and stepping from side to side. She was trying to concentrate so hard on not crying.

"Me too Michelle, I can be completely honest and open with you – I've never had that with anyone before. BUT you are shutting me out of this Michelle. Do you think I won't understand or something?"

"No, that's got nothing to do with it."

Tony just couldn't tell what Michelle was thinking, usually he could read her expressions but she was really holding herself back at the moment. He was hurt she was shutting him out. "I don't get you. You just said you give me everything and you are so open with me, is that just bull shit?"

She was hurting him and it made her feel very guilty. She would be feeling the same way, she never wanted him to keep anything from her. She wanted them to be able to be open and honest about everything. "Please Tony, don't be angry with me. I'm really trying here because I expect you to tell me everything. I don't want you to be angry with me over this."

"I'm not angry with you Michelle. I guess I just feel hurt that you don't feel like you can talk to me about this."

Finally Michelle's expression landed on one he could read. She looked really scared. Her expression actually made Tony feel concerned. She shook her head as she spoke. "No, no it's not you, you are probably the only person in the world I would ever try to talk to about it. I never do because.....because it hurts too much. It's so hard even just thinking about it, I get so scared." She gave him eye contact. "It hurts so much Tony..."

Tony stepped over and pulled her in close to him. He held her tightly. "I'm here for you honey. Let me share the pain with you." He raised her head so she was looking at him. "You might even find it helps to talk about it."

Michelle took in a huge breath and got ready to just blurt it all out in one go. "My mother left me, my brother Danny and my Dad when I was 4 for some other man. Never heard from her since. My Dad was with the FBI – he was killed in the line of duty when I was 24."

Tony felt sick for Michelle. "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry." He hugged her tightly and kissed her over and over.

Michelle surprised herself. "Tony..." She started to sob. "Tony, I love my Dad so much. We were so close. We raised Danny together basically. Tony....he is the only person I've ever had, that I could depend on for everything. He loved me and I knew he'd do anything for me."

"Did he know you were going for CTU Michelle?"

"Dad and I worked out my career plan together. It is because of him that I got interested in all this. At the stage though I thought I'd be at the Pentagon or something by now, he never even knew CTU was on the cards for me. We use to talk for hours about having career's in the field."

Tony stroked her hair. "I bet he is so proud of you Chelle."

Tony was surprised at how much her eyes lit up when he said that. "Really? You really think that Tony?" All of a sudden her expression turned to one of despair again. "I doubt he is now after all the shit that happened with CTU."

She was gripping him so tightly. "Michelle I have no doubt he is very proud of you. I bet he even admires you for how you stood up to CTU and what you did for me. I'm sure he loved seeing just how generous and sweet you are but also how well you stood your own ground."

Michelle couldn't believe how good it felt to talk to Tony about her Dad. Other than her brother, she hadn't discussed her Dad with anyone, ever. When she thought about her Dad she just got so depressed, she never thought about things like how we would be proud of her. "You know Tony, my Dad would have loved you. He always wished I'd find someone just like you."

"I hope so. I hope he can see how much I love you."

Michelle smiled at Tony. "Don't worry, I've already told him many times how much I love you." They kissed sweetly on the lips for a moment. "Thanks Tony....talking to you about all this is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be."

Tony kissed her again and stroked her hair. "Thank you so much for telling me Michelle. I'm glad you don't have to go through this alone anymore. You can talk to me whenever you need to, ok?"

Michelle nodded her head and then took the photo from Tony's hand and traced her thumb over her Dad. Tony watched her for a moment before taking both of her hands in his. "Michelle, about what you said earlier....about your father being the only person you ever had to depend on, how much he loved you and would do anything for you?"

"Yeah..."

"Michelle I want to be that person now. I'm sure your Dad would have wanted someone to take over for him, so he knows you're not on your own anymore, you have someone else looking after you. I'm not trying to replace your Dad by any means, I just want to carry it on for him."

"Tony..."

"No wait, you have to know you can depend on me for anything. I am so in love with you. I love you more than you can imagine Michelle and there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you."

Michelle threw her arms around his neck. "You are that person Tony. I haven't had anyone for like the last 8 years, I've felt so lonely. I never thought it possible that I'd have that from someone else. Even with ex-boyfriends I never even thought about this stuff. I want to be that person for you as well Tony."

Tony's eyes were watery, Michelle could see he was on the verge of tears. She decided not to say anything, she didn't want to make a big deal out of it – especially when she thought it was so sweet and beautiful and she knew he would never believe that's what she really thought. He looked so vulnerable, he bit his bottom lip as a tear trailed down his cheek. "For me?" He shook his head. "NO ONE has ever been or wanted to be that person for me."

He looked genuinely disturbed and shocked by what she had said. "Tony..."

"No Chelle, I didn't say all that stuff because I expected anything back. We are talking about you and me looking after you."

"Tony, what is going on with you? Of course I want to be that person for you. I thought I kinda had been up till now – Hadn't I?"

Tony wiped his face and Michelle pulled his head towards hers by his neck. She kissed his tear and then both of his eyes. He nodded his head. "Yeah you have been, you've been all that and more to me. I just don't want you to think I expect anything..."

"I don't Tony, not at all." She traced his cheek with her thumb. "Is that why you are so emotional sweetie?"

"Not just that, everything. I mean hearing about your Dad, you saying yes...that you feel that way back."

They kissed passionately and then hugged intensely, not wanting to let the other one go. Eventually they got back to packing.

It was after 2 and everything of Michelle's was now at Tony's. They just needed to figure out where they wanted to put everything. Tony slipped into another room and called his brother.

"Jeff it's me."

"Tony, how you doing? How's Michelle?"

"I need your help Jeff. Are you busy?"

"Nothing that can't wait, what's up?"

"I need you to ring my phone back here now and ask me to come out to help you with something..."

"Like what? How come?"

"Say something with our shares at the bank or something, anything. I need you to help me come pick a ring..."

Jeff gasped. "A 'ring' ring???"

"Yup, will you help?"

"Of course."

They hung up and Tony joined Michelle back in his room. He helped clear lots of cupboard space. The phone ran by his bed and Michelle answered it. Tony watched as she chatted to Jeff. She kept saying that was fine and then she held the phone and spoke to Tony.

"It's your brother, he wants to know if you will go to the bank with him – he has an appointment for his share management and would like your input."

"When?"

"Now."

They had totally sucked her in, Tony was having fun with this. "What about you Chelle? Would you mind?"

She smiled. "Of course not babe. You should help your bro."

Tony nodded his head. When Michelle went back to the phone she asked if Emily was around and if she wanted to come with him and they could have chats while Tony and Jeff went to the bank. Jeff checked with Emily and she was so excited. They left as soon as they got off the phone.

Michelle lay on the bed. "I'm so tired!"

Tony walked over and lay down next to her. "Me too. I think you got us up too early Chelle." He flashed his cheeky grin.

"It was worth it because it meant I got to have that shower with you." She knew that would make his ears perk up. His eyes widened and his smile covered his face. As she spoke she gave him a very seductive look. "God, you felt good Tony....wow....the way you just took me..."

Tony's mouth was wide open, some of him was shocked at what she had said. He tried to think about baseball again because as usual she was turning him on. "I loved that, damn you were amazing Chelle. I'd wanted to do that for a very long time."

Michelle could see that Tony was turned on. He caught her looking at him but then he immediately went bright red when he saw how noticeable he actually was. "Fuck – I am so sorry Michelle."

Michelle gently pushed him down so he was on his back and then she ran her hand firmly over him – the shock and how good it felt made his whole body jerk. He raised his head and looked at Michelle who was now pulling his t-shirt out of his jeans and then undoing his buckle. She caught his eyes. "How long will it take Jeff to get here?"

"Like 25 minutes."

She winked at him. "Perfect...." He pulled his jeans and boxers down to his knees.

He sighed loudly. "Holy shit Chelle..."

She was crazy for Tony, every minute with him just grew more and more perfect. She loved how she really knew just how he felt about her, there were no games or any of that crap she had experienced with every other guy she dated. Not only was he straight up with her about his feelings but she could also always tell by his actions as well. She was starting to learn that when he was feeling 'excited' for her that he got a certain gleam in his eye. Tony had just gotten embarrassed because she could see how turned on he was, she wondered why he didn't realise that not only did that turn her on but was also just like a compliment.

It was adorable, he was trying to keep his head up so he could watch her but it was like he just didn't have the strength or energy to do that. Not only did his eyes keep opening and closing but his head kept dropping back on the bed and then straight away he would try either to sit up or at least lift his head again. After watching him repeat this 5 or 6 times she stopped for a moment to grab him a couple of pillows. As she put them under his head for him he caught her face and kissed her lips in between thanking her. Before she had a chance to slide back down his body he ran his hands under her shirt all over her chest. She was basically lying right above him, she was supporting herself up by her hands with her arms straight. He was scrambling to push her bra up, he had never had Michelle in this position before and he loved it.

He ended up wrapping his hands behind her back and unclipping her bra and taking that and her top off. Michelle lowered her body a little for him so that he could use his mouth and tongue all over her stomach and chest. She gave him a few more minutes before she slid back down his body. She could feel his hands running through her hair and so gently guiding her head. Michelle felt so riled up herself from him that she couldn't but groan.

He told her how good he felt and she picked up the pace making him climax. Within seconds of this there was a knock at the front door. Michelle lifted her head to look at Tony to see if she had heard right. He was still just watching her but his eyes were popping out of his head. "You are amazing Chelle, that felt incredible."

"You ok?" She asked, they both knew she meant was it ok if she stood up.

"Yeah, perfect timing I guess..."

Tony jumped up pulling his pants up at the same time and went to answer the door, giving Michelle a few moments to straighten up.

**Thanks so much for all of your reviews, I really appreciate them. Please continue to let me know what you think as it helps me know if I should continue posting here or not. If you want to see anything in my story - let me know. Cheers!**


	21. 21

They ended up at a bar after dinner with most of the same group that had been there the other night. It was Ben's birthday and so as a last minute celebration everyone decided to take him out for a few drinks.

Tony hadn't found a ring that was good enough. He figured he'd go searching again over the next couple of days. It had to be perfect. He couldn't decide how or when he wanted to propose to her. He wanted her to meet his parents, which would mean going to New York for a few days. It was all happening so quickly but he didn't care, all he cared about was being with Michelle. What was the point in waiting when he knew she was the only one for him? He searched the room for her and of course he found her on the dance floor. Michelle had had a few drinks, her face lit up when she saw him. He walked basically straight into her forcing her body to press up against the wall behind her. He grinned at her shocked face. "Tony..."

Their faces were only inches apart. "Yes Chelle..."

She licked her lips. "Don't start something you can't finish..."

Tony tucked a curl behind her ear. "What makes you think I can't finish?"

"Well....unless you are going to let me remove all your clothes right here then I don't think you can finish what you just started with me."

Tony laughed, he could tell she was a little tipsy because of what she was saying, and he loved it. He nibbled on her ear seductively before whispering in it. "Are you turned on Chelle?"

He half expected her to crack a joke so she took him by surprise when she was brutally honest. "Yes...yes I am Almeida."

She had just turned the table on him, he felt like he was putty in her hands now, he'd do anything for her. "What do you want me to do Michelle?"

"Well what were you thinking when you pinned me against the wall?"

Tony kissed her passionately for a moment, just to tease her. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about but now I just really need to take you home..."

Michelle put her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately but this time she carried it on a little longer. Tony deepened the kiss and held her tighter, he didn't want it to end. When Michelle went to pull back he didn't let her, instead he intensified it and pushed his body up against hers. He didn't care at this point where they were or who could see. Everyone there was a good friend of either of them anyways and all he could concentrate on was her.

Eventually she was able to pull back a tiny bit, just enough to talk. He kept kissing her cheek and neck as she spoke. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

His words were broken as he continued to plant kisses on her. "Don't worry about that right now..."

"But now I'm all intrigued Almeida."

Tony ran his hand down her side. "Yeah but I'm all intrigued by you now.....it's your fault you know..."

"How is this my fault?"

Tony looked her up and down. "Chelle, look at you! You can't wear a top like that and expect me to control myself around you. That's just not fair..."

They both laughed. Michelle cupped the side of his face. "Well I did wear it just for you..."

"So what do you say? We've already been here a couple hours – can I take you home now?"

Michelle kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Of course you can."

They walked back into his apartment full of boxes. Michelle tripped on her clothes strewn across his floor and took a nose dive straight in to the pile. "Shit!" She stayed laughing at herself. Tony watched adoringly. "Are you ok Chelle? Want me to clear you a path?"

"No you can't....it will mix my system up!"

Tony looked at the mess all over the floor and laughed. "This is a system? You have got to be kidding me?" He started taking his jacket off, "women..."

Michelle mimicked him, "women!!"

He turned around and caught her out. "Right, that's it..." He walked straight over to her, picked her up throwing her over his shoulder and walked her to the bed where he put her down and climbed right up on top of her. She squealed the entire way, and then laughed as he tried to look at her seriously as he pinned her arms above her head. He kissed along her clavicle.

Michelle completely let him take control. "Wow, if this is me getting in trouble....I'm going to have to mimic you as often as possible. What else annoying can I do?"

Tony couldn't keep a straight face anymore after hearing her say that. They both laughed. He kept her hands pinned with just one of his hands and used the other to roughly run up and down the tight black top she was wearing. They stopped laughing but kept eye contact and traded smiles. His hand began to trail up and down her thighs as well. "God, you are sexy. I can't keep my hands off you Chelle. All I can think about is being with you..."

"I have absolutely no problems with that Tony. All I want is you....over and over and over and over again."

Her hand pressed into her firmer. "I'll never know how I managed to keep my hands off you for like a year. "

"It seems we are making up for lost time now..."

Tony's home phone rang. He reached across and answered it. It was his parents phoning to see if he had spoken to Michelle yet about coming to New York to meet them. He grinned at their eagerness to meet her, he knew they would think she was so perfect. He told them he was just about to and that he would call them back shortly with details.

When he hung up the phone and looked back at her Michelle thought he looked nervous. "Who was that? Is something wrong Tony?"

"That was my parents." Tony was nervous, he so badly hoped she would want to go. "They were checking about this thing I wanted to talk to you about..."

He had Michelle's full attention, she couldn't for the life of her imagine what he wanted to discuss. "This sounds important Tony."

Tony sat up and pulled her with him. "They want....I want you to meet them Chelle."

"Aren't they in..."

Tony stood up as he spoke. "New York. So I was wondering if I could take you there for a couple days or so?"

"Do they want this?"

"Michelle they were just phoning then to check if I had asked you yet or not. They are dying to meet you."

"What about you Tony?"

"I want you to so much. I need them to meet you, I hate them not knowing for themselves just how amazing you are."

Michelle bit her lip and put her head down. She felt overwhelmed at hearing this. She couldn't believe that not only did they want to meet her but enough for her and Tony to make an actual trip across country to do so. It made her feel so special, she had never had something like this happen before. She knew if her Dad was alive how much she would want him to meet Tony. She just hoped they would like her, she had no doubt her Dad would have loved Tony.

Michelle hadn't spoken in a few minutes, she was lost in her thoughts. Tony was studying her but her silence had begun to freak him out. He waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention. "I'm sorry Chelle, I understand why you wouldn't want to..."

Michelle cut him off. "What? Why wouldn't I want to?"

Tony rubbed the side of his face. "You hadn't spoken in forever, I figured it just wasn't something you wanted."

Michelle grabbed his hand. "Wow...no, I'm sorry – I was just taking it all in. I'd love to meet your parents Tony. I can't believe they want to meet me.....that you want me to meet them."

"I'm so relieved, I'm so excited Michelle. You guys are all going to get along so well. You sure Chelle?"

Michelle waived her hand in front of her face, she was very emotional. She cried happy tears a little as she spoke. "Of course. I just hope they like me. I hope they think I'm good enough for you..."

Tony grabbed her hand and stopped her waiving it in front of her face, he then cupped her face by putting his hands on both her cheeks and wiping under eyes with his thumbs. "They already think the world of you Chelle. After how good you have been to me, Jeff and Emily – they just want to be able to meet you themselves."

Michelle sniffled. "I wish my Dad and you could have met you Tony..."

Tony kissed her forehead. "I wish I could have too sweetheart. He is watching over you though Chelle – he knows what's going on."

Tony wanted to wait to see what Michelle said next. If she wanted to talk about her Dad he didn't want to go changing the subject. She smiled at him and within moments she had moved off the subject again.

"When are we going Tony?"

"As soon as possible. Have you got anything on here in the next week? What do you think?"

"I'm all yours Tony. I'm free as a bird. I'd go tomorrow if you wanted me too."

Tony chuckled a little but then stopped and looked at Michelle like he had a big idea. "Why don't we go tomorrow? We could get a flight after lunch?"

"Ummm ok....sure. Fine with me but you better check with your parents and make sure we can even get on a flight so soon."

Tony grabbed his phone and dialled straight away. He was just like an excited 12 year old, his eyes were all lit up and he couldn't sit still. He called his parents and ran the idea past them – they were ecstatic so he hung up quickly and called the airline. Michelle grabbed her credit card out and told Tony to put the tickets on it but he refused to even look at it, instead he used his own. "I'm taking you beautiful."

Within 10 minutes Tony had booked them on an early afternoon flight and given his parents the details. His parents phoned Jeff to see if he and Emily could also make it out for a couple days so that the whole family could be together. He could come the day after next which worked out nicely giving Michelle and Tony the first night alone with his parents.

"Tony do they know what happened with CTU? I don't want them to think I am not working by choice..."

"They sure do Michelle. Would you stop worrying please?"

Her next question had slipped out of her mouth before she realised. She didn't even know where exactly it had come from. "Did your parents or brother meet Nina?"

Tony's shoulders dropped and he looked so confused. "Why are you asking that?"

"I don't know, it kinda just came out."

Tony let out a heavy sigh and trailed his forefinger down the side of his face. "Obviously it must have come from somewhere."

"Are you angry Tony?"

"I hate that you even think of her. I hate that you even think about the fact that I was with that woman – mostly I wish you would stop putting yourself in the same context as her, you've done it since we got together."

"She was still your last girlfriend Tony – you know a lot about my last partner. I don't even know how long you guys were together."

Tony snapped. He hated being caught off guard, which was exactly what had happened with this conversation. Tony thought Michelle was insecure about Nina for some reason – he just couldn't figure out why. He didn't mean to be so rough on her. "Yeah I know he beat the shit out of you – I'm sure there is heaps more about him I should know! We were only together barely 2 months, less then that. You don't need to know anything else about Nina."

Michelle was hurt. She had a good reason to compare herself to Nina. Before she and Tony had gotten together she heard a couple other workers discussing Tony and Nina and they were saying how smitten he was with her. How deeply he must have fallen for her because of the way he acted around her. Yet Tony always acted as if there was barely anything between them and he brushed off his feelings for her as if he hadn't really cared. He was always so protective of even discussing Nina – it made Michelle feel as though there was more to it all. "Look how defensive you are Tony. You know all I asked was if she had met your parents."

"Of course I'm defensive – honestly Michelle I wish you were never even told that I was with her. Let me ask you something.....did Mark get to meet your Dad?"

"That's not really relative considering Dad isn't here to meet you...."

"Just answer it Michelle..."

Michelle was surprised at how angry Tony was and was even more surprised at herself for snapping back at him. "No he didn't Tony. I lost Dad long before Mark came along. I thought you wanted nothing but honesty between us? How could you say you wish I didn't know about Nina?"

Tony paced back and forth. He felt horrible for bringing up her Dad like that – he had no right to do that. Finally he let loose on Michelle, admitting why he felt about all this the way he did. "Ok, have you stopped to think Michelle that basically everything you know about Nina is from other people – not me? You got to tell me about Mark, you got to pick and choose what you wanted me to know. I don't even know how much you know about Nina – obviously a lot of wrong things or you wouldn't be so worried."

"That's because you don't talk about it Tony. Most things I've picked up from the way you act – not from what you have said or anyone else."

"I had to force you to tell me about Mark Michelle. Trust me, I've picked up a lot about that from the way you act as well. How would you feel had I heard all about what happened between you two from someone else?"

"Like what Tony? What have you picked up?" She couldn't believe this was happening after such a perfect night.

"That a part of you still thinks it was ok for him to hit you...."

Michelle couldn't stand for him to continue one more word. She started crying. "Please don't Tony, don't say anything more. Please, please no more."

Tony backed off straight away, he didn't say a single word. "Ok, ok....I'm sorry Chelle." Her reaction made him realise how much pain she still carried around with her from Mark. A lot more than anything he carried from Nina. He felt guilty for all the times he had felt sorry for himself over what had happened – they were such different situations but Michelle had been physically hurt over and over, he could only imagine how that must have made her feel. He took a deep breath and made sure his voice was very gentle. She was still crying, he stepped towards her. "I was out of line Michelle with a lot of things I said, I'm sorry. Do you want to talk to me about Mark, I think you still need to work through some things and I want to be here for you."

Michelle blurted out to Tony something she had been keeping inside, only it was about Nina not Mark. "When I started at CTU and then also not long before we got together I heard people talking about you and Nina. They were saying how smitten you were with her. How obvious it was how much you loved her, especially by the way you acted around her. Yet then you act to me like what you guys had was so 'nothing'. So different to how other people thought of you guys. I admit I am defensive over Mark, ok? He scares me. Why are you so funny about Nina and me?"

Tony shook his head, scratched his face and rolled his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Michelle people are just saying what they thought was true. I can understand why they thought that. I'm ashamed to admit it but there was so many reasons why Nina and I were the way we were. Some of me was trying to get at Jack, some of me was swept up in this new life at CTU. Some of me saw it as a way to keep Nina and Jack at bay with each other. And of course some of me was attracted to her, I was lonely, she was too and we helped each other out in that way. At the time I didn't think I deserved to be treated any better. I am fiercely loyal Michelle and many people at CTU saw me stick by Nina's side, often when I wasn't 100 sure myself. I also stuck by Jack because I thought he was right, which meant sticking by Nina.

I can't help it if people think they know how I felt. I barely knew though – after being with you I know how miserable I was which makes it almost ironic that people could have thought I was so happy.

Michelle I was in a relationship with someone that was using me to manipulate CTU every which way she wanted to commit terrorist acts. The betrayal of that is so hard to swallow. I feel sick when I think that I slept with someone that was capable of doing what she did. I feel embarrassed and ashamed over what happened.

I really hate the idea that you look at me and know I was in a relationship with someone like that. Sometimes it makes me feel less about myself. She never met my parents, I would never have even dreamed of introducing her, not the way our relationship was going. So many people got hurt in some way or another by Nina and what she did, I get so defensive with you because I've never wanted to have to add you to that list. I know I've compared you both but only in how dramatically different you are – because so many times already you have blown me away for the way you treat me and it makes me think about how after Nina I am so lucky to have found you. Michelle, I love you, I care for you more than anything in this world – I want to be able to leave Nina in the past, she doesn't deserve another thought."

Michelle was sitting with her knees up under her chin leaning against the wall. She lifted her head and caught eye contact with him. "Thanks for opening up and being honest with me Tony. I am so sorry for what's happened to you – I wish I could take it all away for you. You are so precious, I just don't understand how someone could have done that to you."

Tony stood up, walked over and crouched down in front of her. "Did it all make sense?" Michelle nodded so he continued. "Chelle you have taken so much of the pain away for me just by being you. Having you in my life has been my biggest saving grace."

Kneeling down in front of Michelle like that after everything that had happened really cemented in Tony's mind how much he wanted her in his life forever. To a degree that she would never even realise, she was the smile on his face and had been for a long time now. He gently stroked her hair for a moment so she would look up at him again. "I am so sorry things just got out of control sweetheart. Obviously we hit a raw nerve with each other but it doesn't excuse me being so rough on you."

"I'm sorry too baby. I'm sorry I started all this, it fell out of my mouth before I even knew it. I wish now I'd asked you directly about Nina a long time ago."

Tony smiled for her. "I wish it hadn't taken me until now to really be able to see the bigger picture about everything that's happened. Come here beautiful."

He pulled her into a tight hug, they stayed crouched on the ground. After a few moments Tony kissed her neck and spoke gently into her ear. "I think we really need to talk more about Mark Chelle."

"I'm not very good at facing any of that. I will talk Tony – what ever you want to know but do you think we could leave it for now? I've really had enough for right now."

Tony kissed her neck again. "Of course sweetie. Are you ok? What do you want me to do?"

Michelle sucked on his ear lobe. "I'm ok if you are. All I want is to be close to you."

"You got it." Tony moved forward pushing Michelle back so she was sitting against the wall. He knelt on his knees in between her legs which were straight out on the ground and leaned in as close as possible to her. He pressed his lips against hers, she pulled down on his bottom lip enough that she could slip her tongue deeply into his mouth.

She wanted him so much, her desire to be with him stronger than ever. Michelle wanted him to know right now how much he was turning her on. She had him pull his top off and then she ran her hand across his lower stomach, letting her fingers just slip inside the top of his pants. Michelle felt his stomach muscles flinch and then tense up so she did it again.

Tony pulled her pants off and then used his tongue to kiss her neck and shoulders. They had both begun to breathe in shallow pants. Tony slipped his hand inside her underwear and grunted loudly. She couldn't help but rest her head back against the wall and close her eyes. He was incredible with her. Tony was watching her face intensely. "Honey, look at me. I want to be able to look into your eyes." She did as he asked and they had tight contact. "God your body is amazing. I love you so much Michelle."

"Tony I love you so much, you make me feel so amazing." They kissed passionately for a long time. Michelle stopped for a moment. "Tony, swap positions with me."

"But I'm not done with you..."

Michelle began to push him back and to the side. "Trust me..."

Tony pulled back from Michelle, they both paused for a moment to catch their breath. As he settled himself against the wall Michelle removed the rest of his clothing. When Tony realised what she was about to do he gave her a very cheeky grin. "I love how you think..."

She sat on his lap and they began to make love slowly. They couldn't take their eyes off each other, they didn't kiss, and instead they just lost themselves in each other eyes and how they felt. Michelle's arms were around his neck and his were gripped to her waist.

They stayed like that a long time after they had finished. They were as close to one another as possible and neither was interested in letting the moment end. They kissed, stroked one another's hair and hugged tightly. When it was getting to the point they were going to fall asleep Tony had a suggestion. "Do you feel like showering honey and then I'll wrap you up in my arms under the covers so we can get some sleep? Big day tomorrow."

"That sounds perfect Tony."

**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE....THANKS!!**


	22. 22

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys rock. I was a little slack with posting my last 2 chapters here so I've put them together - that's why this one is so long.**

**Please let me know what you think, especially if you want me to keep going with this story.**

**Thanks!!**

Tony woke up cold. He opened his eyes to find that he had none of the covers at all, no wonder he was freezing laying there in just his boxer shorts. He lad to laugh when he looked over at Michelle who had herself completely wrapped up in the blanket. It was so big and she was so small that she was almost lost in it. He slid his hand underneath and found her back, he rubbed it gently. She stirred a little. "Hey Almeida."

"You stole the entire covers woman!"

Michelle rolled over and looked at Tony lying there with nothing. She laughed. "Mmm it's so nice and toasty in here."

"You never warned me you were a blanket hog Chelle!"

Michelle laughed again. "I am use to sleeping on my own, I didn't know. If you are nice, I might let you come back under with me…"

Tony sat up with a cheeky grin. "If I'm nice huh?! I'm coming in and there is nothing you can do about it." He picked up the end of the blanket and crawled inside. Michelle tried to push him out but he overpowered her easily and pinned her body underneath his. He pulled the covers up over his own back, she was still struggling but he simply held both her arms down above her head with just one of his. He used his body to keep the rest of her pinned to the one spot. "You have no hope against me Chelle….you might as well give up."

"This isn't fair, you are way too strong for me."

Tony went to speak but changed his mind at the last minute and instead pressed his lips hard against hers kissing her passionately. She welcomed his tongue into her mouth. Minutes flew by whilst they did nothing but kiss. Tony kept her pinned underneath him.

"You are such a good kisser Tony…"

He blushed a little and a shy smile crept across his face. "I could kiss you forever Chelle….I love your kisses." He giggled as he mumbled something into her ear before beginning to suck on her neck.

Michelle titled her head as much as she could to the side so he could reach all of her neck. "What did you say Tony?"

He kept kissing, "don't worry."

Michelle could tell he was laughing a little as he began licking her ear. "I can tell you are laughing at yourself Tony, you have to tell me what you said!"

He stopped for a moment. "Ok, all I said was that…. you are a damn fine lover as well." He loved watching a huge nervous smile spread across her face. "Look at you going all shy Chelle….you are so adorable."

"I can't help it….I can't even believe you think that!!"

Tony was in such a playful mood. He released her hands and supported himself above her by his elbows. He kissed her cheek a few times over. "Are you kidding me? You are amazing honey. I spend most of my time replaying the times we have been together over in my head or thinking about what I want to do with you next."

Michelle was biting her lower lip. Although he was making her blush, she absolutely loved hearing him say all this. "I didn't think it was possible to feel as good as you make me feel Tony."

He rubbed his stubbly face across her cheek as he used his tongue to kiss her ear and then he pulled back a little bit and asked her shyly. "Do you ever think about us like that?"

She felt just as shy about all this as he looked. "All the time baby. What sort of stuff do you think?"

He laughed. He felt Michelle firmly lift her lower body into his. He closed his eyes and moaned. "I think everything. How incredibly sexy you are and how happy I am because of you. I think about what it feels like to be with you Chelle – how good your body feels in my hands." She moved her body underneath him a little and they smiled seductively at each other. I just want to be able to lock you up in this room for a week and have my way with you all day everyday!"

"You wouldn't need to lock me up honey."

They laughed and kissed for a few moments. Tony pushed himself against her making her groan loudly. He nibbled on her neck and then whispered into her ear. "It feels like I fit perfectly inside you Chelle, like you were made just for me."

"Tony….wow…"

The looked into each other's eyes as they began to sway their hips from side to side. Tony lifted his upper body a little. "Let's get rid of your top sweetie."

Michelle pulled it off for him, he had taken her in his hands and mouth before her body was even pressed back into the bed again. Things were heating up very quickly. "Do we have time for this Tony?"

Tony stopped and looked at his watch. "Fuck, I almost forgot. We have just over an hour before we need to leave for the airport…"

Michelle's eyes just about popped out of her head. "But we haven't even packed, oh my God Tony I have to shower and everything…"

Tony put his finger to her mouth to stop her. "Hey hey, don't stress we will be fine. We only need stuff for a few days. We can easily be ready  
in time…in fact we don't need to rush…"

Michelle smiled and shook her head. "Are you trying to convince me that we still have time to have sex?"

Tony kissed her chest and firmly ran his hand right down her stomach, inside her boxer shorts and circled the tops of her thighs before making his way back up again to repeat it all over. "Well I am pretty riled up…" He pulled her boxers and underwear off all the while keeping eye contact. "And I know you want this Chelle…"

There wasn't a chance in hell Michelle could have said no now. He had her so turned on she could care less about anything in the world right now except for Tony. She played along with him. "And how do you know that?"

Tony used his tongue to kiss her stomach and then the top of her thigh. He looked back up at her. "By the look in your eyes, the way you are ever so slowly swaying your hips, the way you groan when I kiss your chest…" He kissed her thigh again. "And when I do that, you slightly lift your lower body up for me…"

Michelle couldn't believe it. As his hands roamed her naked body she became very conscious how much she did physically respond to his touch. "I didn't even know I was doing all that…"

Tony laughed a little and then tightened his grip on her. "Can you tell how much I want you?"

"I've noticed that when you want to fool around, you get a certain 'look' in your eyes – a look that is just for me. I can certainly tell when you push yourself against me….like you are doing now…"

Tony slid his boxer shorts off and then lifted himself back on top of her covering her entire body. "Wrap your legs around me honey." She did as he asked and the result made them both breathe each others names loudly. They were still and Tony was holding her gaze. "Can you see….do you want to see the 'look' in my eyes?"

"Yes I see it and you have no idea how much I want to see it…"

Tony loved that she could see a certain look in his eyes – something he had no idea about. It made him feel so good because it showed how much she cared about all the little things about him. He pushed himself inside her and then told her how much he loved her.

Michelle kept as tight grip on him with her legs as possible and did the same with her arms around his neck. He was so gentle and sweet with her. He was slowly pushing himself a little deeper inside her, which made her groan loudly. She felt so good to him, he kept his eyes open so he could watch her. He pushed himself deeper again, and this time she said his name desperately. He wanted to hear her say it again so he grunted himself before begging her. "Talk to me, God I love it when you tell me what you are feeling." He slipped one hand under the back of her head and the other on the middle of her back, and then as he pushed himself inside her as deeply as possible he pulled her head and body into his firmly at the same time. Michelle couldn't help but give him exactly what he wanted. "God Tony….I'm yours, you feel amazing." They couldn't take their eyes off each other, Michelle whispered into his ear in between shallow pants. "I can't believe how sexy you are, I love you so much – more than anything in this world." Her words left him completely choked up. "hmmm Chelle…" Their hips swayed together and Tony spent the entire time nuzzling into her neck using his tongue to kiss her and then he nibbled on her ear as he whispered. "We are as close as possible baby and I don't think I've ever felt so content and happy. Being wrapped up in your love is everything to me. You feel so good."

Happy tears flowed down Michelle's cheeks the entire time they made love. She didn't try wiping them – she didn't seem to mind when they were for something good. Tony stopped instantly when he saw her tears. "What have I done? Shit, am I hurting you?"

Michelle smiled and clutched on to him even harder. "No no, they are good tears – because I'm so happy."

Tony stroked the side of her face. "For real? Are you sure?"

"For real, I promise."

Tony stayed just stroking her face for a moment before starting to move again. He was so touched by her tears he almost felt close to them himself. It was the greatest feeling in the world to Tony to be shown how much he meant to her. She gave him so much confidence in himself and for the first time in a very long time he truly felt like he was important and special. Over the years many people had done such a good job of slowly tearing Tony down, Nina had really just been the icing on the cake. He had believed in his work ability but when it came down to just 'him', he had very strong doubts. Now though, Michelle was helping him build it all back up.

He was still trying to get use to being in such a good relationship. He noticed how with Michelle nothing was an effort, yet with any of his ex-girlfriends everything always seemed to be an effort. He loved that there were no mind games and that he didn't have to constantly worry over what she thought of him – Michelle made it very clear how much she cared for him.

After they had made love, they both wished they could stay holding each other for a while but they knew they absolutely had to completely rush to be ready in time. Before she let him climb off her Michelle kissed him again sweetly. "I know we don't have time now but once we are ready do you think you could keep me close to you? After that, I need you Tony."

Tony felt guilty that they couldn't just stay lying there with each other now. He knew how important it was for her to feel safe and secure after they had been so intimate. If he was honest, he needed that too! He sat up, pulled her out of bed and straight into his arms where he held her so tightly. "Sweetheart of course. I need you as close as well. Here, we will save time if we shower together…"

They jumped in and out of the shower as quickly as possible and then scrambled to get dressed and pack up their things. Tony called them a taxi and to their surprise they were actually ready in time. They held hands the entire way and then once in the airport Tony kept his arm around her shoulders the whole time.

Michelle sat on the end of the bed in Tony's parent's spare bedroom. She needed a couple of minutes to take everything in. The plane ride had been painfully long, every minute felt like an hour as the butterflies in her stomach got stronger and stronger. Tony, of course, had been so good at trying to reassure her over and over that everything would be fine but it hadn't managed to take them away.

Tony's parents, Karen and David met them both at the gate when they arrived. Michelle had gone to shake their hands but they had both pulled her in for a hug which helped her relax a little immediately. Conversation had flowed easily the entire way back to their apartment, actually Michelle didn't think things could have gotten off to a better start. Once inside they had sat chatting over a drink for close to 2 hours. Now she was suppose to be getting freshened up to go out to dinner. David was taking them all out to a nice restaurant in time square for dinner.

As well as everything was going, Michelle was still finding it hard. Since her mother had left her when she was just 4 she wasn't use to any kind of a mother figure. She wanted Karen to accept her so much, she hoped she was everything a mother looked for in partner for her son. David reminded her a little of her own Dad and watching the closeness between Tony and his parents made her heart ache for her own father. It was so hard to accept that he wasn't around to be a part of all this.

Tony knocked on the door and slipped inside. "You almost ready sweetheart?"

Michelle stood and grabbed her purse. "I'm ready."

He watched as her eyes flickered around the room and she fumbled with her bag. "You ok Chelle? You are not still nervous are you? Mom and Dad love you…"

Michelle shook her head. "No no, I'm ok. Your parents are great Tony…..really really great."

As she approached him at the door he slipped his hand around her waist. He could see pain in her eyes no matter how much she was trying to hide it. "You thinking about your Dad Chelle?"

Michelle wondered how Tony knew that, his ability to read her was touching. "How did you know?"

"When you are thinking or talking about your Dad you have a certain look on your face and pain in your eyes. Is it making things harder on you being around my parents?"

Michelle rested her head on his chest. "I little I guess, but it's not bad Tony. I'm so excited to be here meeting them and I love seeing what a great relationship you have with your parents. I'm fine, I just needed a moment but I'm ready for a great night."

Tony knew Michelle was putting on a brave face for him. He never knew how much he should push this topic with her though and so he chose to let her handle it how she wanted to. He just planned on keeping a really close eye on her so he was ready whenever she needed him. He kissed the top of her head. "If you want to talk I am here for you…..you know that right?"

Michelle smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I know. Come on, let's not keep your parents waiting."

They made it through dinner with things going perfectly. They were all laughing so much other patrons kept looking over at their table. Michelle asked Karen and David lots of questions to get to know them better and Tony was touched at how much interest she was showing in them. It was as desert arrived at the table that things started to take a downhill turn.

After explaining to Michelle about his job, David inquired about her father, completely unaware of her situation. "And what does your father do Michelle?"

Michelle took a quick gulp of air. "I….he….ummm…"

Tony placed his hand over Michelle's on the table. He was kicking himself for not finding the time to tell his parents before so that exactly this did not happen. He only let Michelle stumbled with words for a moment before he jumped in for her. "Michelle's father actually passed away just a few years ago…"

Both Karen and David let out a loud sigh of despair. David gently touched Michelle's shoulder. "I am so sorry. Aaahh Michelle, I am very sorry."

Michelle offered him a smile. "Not to worry, you had no idea. Really it's ok."

Everything felt awkward as Karen and David wanted to ask what had happened but didn't want to make things worse. Michelle knew she should be offering more information but she just couldn't seem to find the words. Eventually Karen spoke up. "I can't imagine how hard it must be on your brother, you and your mother Michelle. We are so sorry to hear…"

Tony's stomach turned listening to his mother put her foot into it again. He squeezed Michelle's hand. He was all ready to jump in again and was surprised when she began to talk before he had a chance.

"It is just my brother Danny and I. My mom left when I was 4 and I haven't seen her since. Dad raised us…"

Michelle was so scared of the silence that might envelope the table that she decided to avoid it. She barely finished her sentence when she stood from the table and forced a smile. "Can you please excuse me? I just need to run to the ladies room. I won't be a moment." She slid out of the table and out of their sight.

Karen and David began to apologise to Tony but he didn't let them. "It's ok, I should have told you before, and I just didn't get a chance."

Karen slowly started to stand. "Maybe I should go and check how she is?"

"Ok, but maybe just give her a moment. I don't want to push her, it is all still really raw to her. She only just told me the story when we were packing up her place."

Tony went to explain a little more to his parents but his attention was diverted by a couple of woman walking over to his table. His stomach dropped as he realised it was an ex-girlfriend, Donna. He hadn't seen her in close to 2 years now. They had dated only briefly because Tony knew early on she just wasn't right for him. She was the type that needed attention from every man in the room all the time, whether she was in a relationship or not. Tony was sure he wasn't the only one she was seeing at the time and by the 3rd or 4th date he was sick of watching her flirt with other men right in front of him. She was grinning at him from ear to ear as she rushed over to their table and sat herself right down in Michelle's seat.

"Oh my God Tony, I can't believe it's you. What are you doing here?"

Tony tried to be polite but he was so focused on the look of confusion on his parents face and trying to watch out for Michelle. "I'm in town visiting my parents. Donna, this is Karen and David."

Sending shivers down his spine, she basically lunged over the table to shake their hands. He almost felt embarrassed for the way she was dressed. She had on tiny mini skirt with something that was barely a tube top. Her cleavage dropped all over the table. His parents asked how they knew each other.

Donna put her hand on Tony's forearm. "We dated a couple years back. Wow….we had a great time together…"

Tony shifted his body so he could move his arm away from her hand. As he looked up he saw Michelle standing next to the table, able to hear everything coming out of Donna's mouth. Her friend had started to wonder off talking on her cell phone.

At first Michelle wondered if she had walked back to the right table. It certainly was her Tony sitting at the table but she didn't recognise the woman basically draped all over him. Then she heard the woman say she had dated Tony and how great they were together and her stomach dropped to the ground. Michelle didn't know what to do, or think, and so she just stood there staring at them blankly.

Tony was trying to get eye contact with her but she didn't want to give it to him. She didn't know how she was supposed to look at him, she wasn't even sure how she was feeling. He stood and motioned at Michelle. "Chelle……ummm this is Donna, Donna this is my girlfriend Michelle."

Donna didn't stand, instead turned around in the seat and then looked Michelle up and down. "Michelle huh? It is nice to meet you."

Michelle had forced out her hand to Donna but when she didn't take it Michelle let it drop back to her side. She felt her heart pound as she watched this woman so obviously look her up and down and then disapprove of her. "It's nice to meet you too."

Tony couldn't believe it when Donna didn't get out of Michelle's chair and offer it back. He didn't want to be rude but he really had no idea what to do. Was he meant to just tell this woman to piss off? When Donna turned her back on Michelle Tony offered her his seat. "Here Chelle, come sit down."

There was no way Michelle was going to sit there and put herself in that position. She didn't want to make things difficult on Tony or make a fuss in front of his parents. "That's ok, I can give you a guys a few minutes to catch up if you want?"

Both Tony and his parents shook their heads straight away. Fortunately before anything else had to be said Donna stood. "No no. I need to catch up with my friend." She brushed her body up against Tony's as she pushed past him. "Nice to meet you all, give me a call sometime Tony."

Tony just waved his hand at her and then turned straight back to Michelle who was taking her seat. "Sorry about that…..are you ok?"

Michelle didn't want anyone to know she had felt a little jealous seeing Donna act like that with Tony. There was nothing more she wanted than for this dinner to just run smoothly so she swallowed everything she was feeling about her Dad and Donna and smiled at Tony. "I'm fine sweetie. Ready to finish my dessert!"

"Chelle….I'm sorry that happened…"

She touched his forearm and cut him off. "Really, don't worry about it." She turned to his parents, "I'm sure there are a million stories you both have to tell me about Tony!"

Just like that everything was dropped and they all continued the night like normal. Karen and David were both very impressed with Michelle, especially after the way she had handled the situation. They stayed at the restaurant for another couple of hours talking. It was well after midnight by the time they got home and they were all ready for bed.

Michelle was the first to be washed up and in bed, Tony was right behind her. She was lying on her side and so he slid in behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Although Michelle had put on a great show for everyone, Tony could see straight through it. He knew she had been upset and he didn't want to just forget about it, he wanted to talk to her about it. "Baby….tell me what you are thinking."

"Nothing, just zoning out."

"I am sorry about Donna tonight, I couldn't believe she was there."

Michelle closed her eyes. "It's ok."

Tony gently tried to pull her body back but she wasn't moving with him. "Chelle…come on. Don't you want ask me about her? How could you not want to talk about this?"

"I don't know what to say Tony. Obviously she is an ex girlfriend, obviously you guys were great together, obviously she still wants you and obviously she didn't like me."

Tony sighed. "I only dated her like 3 or 4 times. As you could probably tell she wasn't exactly my type. We were not great together, that is why I ended it. She had no right to be rude to you like that Michelle."

"Yeah maybe…" Michelle couldn't work out why she was having so much trouble talking to Tony about how she felt. She really did want to know all the details, all she could think was that it would hurt hearing them so she struggled to know what to say.

"God Michelle, if that happened with one of your ex boyfriends I'd need to talk about it."

"Fine…ok fine. Is she someone you want to call again?"

Tony sat up leaning over her. "No. I'd never want to talk to or see her again ever."

Finally Michelle rolled on to her back and looked up at Tony. "She still wants you Tony. Did you see the way she looked at you and then how she greased me off?"

Tony lowered his body over hers a little. He supported himself up by his elbows and used his fingers to stroke her hair. "That's just the way she is with every guy, trust me, I was no one special to her."

Michelle surprised Tony. "Either way it was hard to see another woman all over you like that…"

"I'm sorry. I just about jumped out of my skin when she put her hand on my arm. I moved straight away though…."

Michelle nodded her head. She had seen that and she couldn't have expected Tony to act any better in the situation than he had, there was no way she wanted him to feel guilty. "I know baby."

Although he didn't want to bring it up, he really wanted Michelle to know. "I never slept with her Chelle."

Michelle couldn't believe how much it helped her to know that. She looked into Tony's eyes that were concentrating so intently on her. She loved the way he looked at her, it was like he was consuming all of her. He cared so much about making sure she felt ok and that meant the world. She felt so strange, on so many levels she felt amazing but yet in so many ways she felt insecure or sad, she wasn't really sure. She had spent so long with no real love or support in her life other than Danny that all of this was so hard to get use to. She was close with Danny, but most of the time it felt like she just looked after him – she had never had the kind of closeness she and Tony were developing with anyone. She realised she hadn't answered him, she had just been stroking his hair staring deep into his eyes. "Thanks Tony. I feel a lot better knowing that."  
Tony began tracing his thumb along the side of her cheek. "Been a bit of a rough night huh?"

"Tony I loved meeting your parents. They are so nice and I had so much fun with them."

"That's not what I mean, you put on a good cover Michelle but I know you have been upset."

Michelle closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. "Yeah so…"

"Chelle…"

Michelle moved her body so that he would have to move off her. She surprised herself at just how defensive she had become with him. He looked so hurt as he moved next to her. "Sorry. I just….I'm just not use to all this."

Tony supported himself up by his elbow. "What do you mean? Use to all what?"

Michelle sat up. "You, how good you are at knowing if I am upset even if I don't tell you. How good you are at making me feel better…"

Tony sat up next to her and rubbed his hand up and down her back. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment as Michelle tried to make sense of her feelings and Tony gave her space to work through them. "What if things change?"

"What's going to change Chelle? Are you worried I'm going to change?"

Michelle closed her eyes, it was easier to talk about these things with her eyes closed, that way she didn't have to deal with her surroundings at the same time. "After my Dad died I swore to myself I wasn't going to let myself get close to anyone again, it just hurts too much. With Mark, I got pretty use to keeping my feelings too myself but at the time he was the closest person to me and as you know he was good at hurting me. I don't know….so much of tonight just made me think about how much I need you. How close I have let you in lately. I swore to myself I'd never put myself in a position to get hurt like that again and yet it's exactly what I've done."

Tony was so happy to have Michelle open up to him. He pulled her body into his. "Honey, I'm not going anywhere. Nothing is going to change – you can't let losing your dad stand in the way of feeling truly happy and secure again. I'm here now and I love being close to you." He ran his hands through her hair and then kissed her on the forehead. "It's ok to let me love you Chelle, its ok to let me in."

Michelle's eyes were a little watery. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you Tony."

He had to stop himself from proposing to her right then and there. He kissed her cheek firmly. "Sweetheart you are not going to lose me. You are my world." He pressed his lips against hers and slowly pushed her body down on the bed with his on top. "Let me love you Chelle."

Michelle let Tony's body sink into hers, she wrapped her arms up around his neck and pulled him in even closer. Her eyes closed as he began to slide his mouth over her neck to her shoulder. After a few moments he pulled her body back up so he could pull her shirt over her head. Instead of saying anything they just watched each other and let their eyes do the talking. His hands gently traced across her body taking in every curve.

She loved how he touched her, how he cared about every inch of her. She flinched as his tongue trailed down her stomach and his hands explored her chest. She had never felt so safe or loved in her life. She wanted to give Tony everything, she wanted to let herself go and not be afraid anymore. He said he wasn't going anywhere and she believed more in 'them' now than she did anything.

He pulled his body back up hers to check on her. His lips kissed her cheek and neck as he whispered in her ear. "You ok baby?"

Michelle ran her hands through his hair. "Will you make love to me Tony?"

"Yes….oh God yes!"


	23. Chapter 23

Michelle woke up before Tony. She slipped out of the bed without disturbing him and made her way down to the kitchen where she joined his parents for some coffee. She loved just sitting and chatting with them, this was something she missed so much with her own Dad. It felt so nice to becoming close with Tony's parents – she could see so much of him in both of them.

After a while when things were going really well she decided to step outside her comfort zone. "I just wanted to apologise to you both if I acted a bit funny last night when my parents were bought up."

Both Karen and David offered her the most understanding smile. Karen spoke for them both. "There is absolutely no need to apologise. We are just so sorry, we hoped we didn't upset you…"

"Oh no, you had no idea. I'm just not very good at opening up about it all. Actually Tony is the only person I've ever really talked to about it."

Tony had woken up lonely and made his way down the hall. He stopped and quietly stood leaning his head against the doorway when he heard the conversation. He felt so touched hearing Michelle make such an effort with his parents.

Karen had put her hand gently over Michelle's on the table. "I'm so glad you have Tony to talk to. Of course I want you to feel comfortable coming to us for anything…."

"Thank you…….wow thank you so much. You guys are great."

"Do you get to see Danny often?"

Michelle couldn't believe how relaxed she felt around David and Karen. "Yeah, we are very close. When mum left, Dad and I formed like a team to look after Danny. Dad was in agency work as well….so he had a pretty strict upbringing!" Michelle chuckled a little.

"It sounds like you and your father were very close…"

As Michelle started to speak Tony walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her neck. "We were. He was my best friend, you know. We use to spend hours together talking about our careers, he helped me so much. He died in the line of duty when I was 24, he didn't even know about CTU."

David leaned across the table a little closer to Michelle. "I'm sure he is so proud of you."

"Thank you."

Tony squeezed her shoulders and Michelle tilted her said to the side to smile at him. He bent down and kissed her sweetly on the neck. "Hey gorgeous…"

"You decided to wake up huh?"

Tony laughed a little and then greeted both his parents good morning before heading to the counter to get some coffee.

David turned back to Michelle. "We heard what happened at CTU Michelle, and what you did, that was pretty amazing. It is disgusting how you were treated, so wrong but we admire you."

Michelle smiled. "Thanks but trust me when it came to Tony or CTU – it wasn't even a choice. Tony is the best thing that has ever happened to me…"

As she finished her sentence she looked over at Tony. He was smiling from ear to ear.

David jumped in before Tony had a chance to say anything. "Ahhh be careful – that kind of talk will go to his head!"

"Too late." Tony laughed as he made his way back to the table.

After breakfast it was decided that Tony and his Dad would spend the afternoon together whilst Michelle and Karen went shopping. Everybody headed off to get ready.

Michelle was lying out her clothes for the day when Tony came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "So do you want to shower with me?"

Michelle stroked his arms. "What about your parents?"

"Chelle they won't even know." He kissed her neck and nibbled on her ear. "They are not even going to come near the room whilst we are here getting ready." He spun her around and used his tongue to kiss along her clavicle. "Please…..it's good for my health."

Michelle laughed. "How exactly do you figure that?"

He pulled her top up over her head and then unclipped her bra. "Well I just don't know how you expect me to function the rest of the afternoon if I haven't been able to have a little Michelle to myself." He was giggling to himself as he continued to slide his tongue and lips over her body.

"Ok babe, I'm all yours…"

Tony gave her a very cheeky smile, "Seems you were all mine last night as well……I could get very use to this!"

In the shower Tony took his time to wash Michelle as she concentrated on washing her hair. "Want me to wash yours Tony?"

"I wouldn't say no to that."

She tried running the shampoo through his hair but he kept kissing her letting his lips land where ever they could reach.

"You seem determined Tony to not let me get anything done!"

Tony ran his hand firmly down her side. He gave her a cheeky grin. "I can't help myself today, I can't keep my hands off you." They kissed sweetly on the lips and then he whispered in her ear. "How am I supposed to get through the day with out you?"

Michelle trailed her hands down his chest. "I guess you are just going to have to keep thinking about this…"

He pushed her against the wall and pressed his body into hers. As they kissed the water began to turn cold. Tony cursed. "That's not fair, I was only getting started with you."

She ran her hands through his hair, they were holding eye contact and smiling. "Now you really have lots to think about today…"

Tony pouted playfully. "You are loving this, aren't you?"

Michelle laughed. "Yes!"

He turned the water off and they both jumped out and started getting dry. Tony put his towel across his back and then opened it up and wrapped it around Michelle as well. He kissed her forehead. "I look forward to picking up where we left off tonight…"

Michelle blushed. "Only if you are a good boy…"

She had to laugh as she watched him head into the bedroom mumbling to himself but obviously loud enough for her to hear. "Oh, I'll be a good boy…"

Tony was so excited, everything was just going so perfectly. What Michelle didn't know was that Tony was actually going ring shopping with his Dad.


	24. Chapter 24

Michelle was having one of the best days she had ever had. She and Karen had been shopping all day. They stopped in a little café for lunch and ended up spending close to 3 hours talking. Karen had really taken Michelle under her wing. Without a mother of her own, Michelle had never had a chance to do this type of thing. There had never been a 'mother type' figure in her life and the relationship she was forming with Karen was treasured to her.

Karen loved Michelle and was so thankful Tony had found her. Not only did she appreciate how happy Michelle made her son but also she loved how much effort Michelle made with her and David. Karen couldn't believe how well they had connected, there hadn't been a silent moment between them since they left the house. Michelle had helped her pick out an outfit to wear to a wedding she was going to soon and then they had found some earrings and shoes to match.

Michelle had seen a beautiful black jacket that she wanted to get for Tony. They had decided to wait until they were on the way home so she didn't have to carry it all day. It was after 6pm when her phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi sweetie."

"Tony! How was your day with your Dad?"

"It was great. Are you guys still shopping?"

"Umm yes…"

"It's been like 9 hours!"

Michelle laughed at how surprised Tony was at their ability to shop for so long. "We will be home soon."

"Well Dad and I just picked up Emily and Jeff from the airport and we thought maybe we could just meet you down town for some dinner soon."

"Sounds good, I'll pass you onto your mum so you can figure out a place." Michelle lowered her voice, "I've thought about you all day Tony….I miss you."

Tony felt his stomach flip. "I've missed you too sweetheart."

Michelle passed the phone to Karen and then looked at some clothes whilst they worked out a place to meet up for dinner. When Karen hung up, Michelle had already found a couple of shirts she thought Tony would really like as well.

"Karen, do you think Tony would like these?"

"I think he would love them. Are you still thinking about getting the jacket too?"

"Yes definitely. I think it is so Tony."

Karen watched Michelle stare off into space for a moment as she thought about Tony. It sent tingles all over her body seeing how much she cared for him. Karen hadn't seen Tony so happy in as long as she could remember and she knew that was all thanks to Michelle. She knew Tony had spent the day searching for a ring and she was thrilled that Michelle was going to be her daughter in law. She hoped Tony asked whilst they were in New York, she wanted to be able to share the precious time with them.

Tony found himself so excited waiting for Michelle to walk into the restaurant. He had spent the entire day dreaming about her whilst they searched for a ring. He had found the perfect one, he knew it was it the one the second he saw it. It cost thousands of dollars but he hadn't even looked at the tag twice, he didn't care, he knew she would love it and that was all that mattered. He shoved his hand into his pocket and felt the small box, it was the 5th time he had checked it was still there in the last 10 minutes.

He saw her breeze through the door following his mom and he jumped up and went to meet her half way. All of her attention was on him as she dropped a pile of bags to the floor and threw her arms around his neck. It made him feel so good the way she let him know how happy she was to see him. He winked at his mom over Michelle's shoulder. He could tell by the way she smiled back at him that they had had a really good day. Michelle whispered in his ear before she pulled out of the embrace. "Hey handsome."

Tony leant in and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Hey beautiful."

Michelle then ran over and gave Emily, Jeff and David a huge hug. Emily had been saving the seat next to her for Michelle. She wanted to see everything Michelle and her Grandmother had bought so she begged them to pull everything out. Karen showed everyone her new outfit proudly, she was so excited about it.

Michelle pulled out a little package and handed it to Emily. "This is for you." Emily ripped it open to find a silver necklace with a little locket attached. Michelle went to put it on and do it up for her. "It's a friendship pendant….I want you to know I am always here for you, no matter what, ok?"

"Thank you so much Michelle. It's so cool." Emily gave Michelle a huge hug before turning to show it off to her Dad.

Michelle turned to Tony. "I got something for you."

His eyes lit up. "For me?"

Michelle pulled out the jacket and handed it to Tony. He held it up and grinned from ear to ear. "I love it Chelle." He stood up and pulled it on, everyone commented how good it looked. He bent down and kissed her. "You are so sweet, thank you. Is it ok if I wear it now?"

Michelle laughed. "Of course….but here I got you these as well. I couldn't resist because I know you would look so good in them." She handed him the other 2 shirts.

"Wow….do you get anything for yourself?"

"Ummm….no."

Tony held each shirt up for everyone to see. "These are great Chelle, I can't believe you got me so much…..and I can't believe you didn't get anything for yourself."

"I'm glad you like them."

Tony took her hand under the table. "I love them, thanks baby."

Dinner had gone perfectly but Tony cut it short saying he wanted to take Michelle to Central Park for a walk. Everyone besides Michelle knew what was going on so they all headed back to the apartment and got ready to celebrate. David and Jeff stocked up on alcohol while Karen and Emily went to pick up a cake and nibbles.

Tony was now scared to death. With all this stuff planned – what if she said no. He and Michelle were walking along side some water in a more secluded area. This was the perfect place, he just kept freaking out and not doing it. He needed her to say yes so much – he hated this feeling – of being so out of control.

Michelle was in heaven. Here she was with the love of her life in the most romantic place, the night couldn't get better. Tony had been acting a little strange all night though, almost like he was a little jumpy or something. Michelle found a secluded little area and threw the rug Tony had bought down on the ground.

Tony looked at the spot. "Here? You happiest here?"

Michelle went over to him and kissed his cheek. "What's up with you Tony….you seem all jumpy?"

"I just want to make sure it's the perfect place for you."

"Tony it's the perfect place because you are here……now come on I thought we were going to snuggle."

Tony went and sat on the rug, he patted the spot next to him for Michelle. When she sat down he took her hands and kissed them both. "You are so beautiful Chelle."


	25. Chapter 25

Michelle climbed onto Tony's lap so that she was facing him. He sat with his legs out straight underneath her while she had a leg on each side of his body and her hands were pressed up against his chest. "I had such a good day today Tony. Your mom is so great, we had the best time."

Tony smiled. "It feels so good to hear you say that Chelle."

"I just love your family, they have been so nice to me."

"Well they love you too sweetheart, I knew they would."

Michelle leaned forward and undid the top couple of buttons of his shirt so that she could kiss his chest. "Thank you for bringing me to New York Tony. I can't believe I am here with you, it is so beautiful - you have no idea how much all this means to me."

After a couple minutes of silence Michelle looked up at Tony who was staring down at her smiling, obviously oblivious to the fact that he hadn't said a word. "What are you thinking about Tony? You've gone all quiet."

Tony snapped himself out of it. "Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

Michelle blushed a little as she kissed him gently on the lips. "You are so beautiful Tony….do you realise how happy you make me?"

Tony put his hands out in front of him just a few centimetres apart. "Ummm…this much?"

Michelle laughed and shook her head. "Not even close…"

He moved his hands apart further. "This much?"

Michelle had a huge smile as she continued to shake her head. "Nope, still not even close."

He reached his hands out to the side as far as he could possibly stretch. "What about now?"

She pulled his hands in. "Your hands could never reach far enough honey. Let's just say you are a hundred times more than I ever could have imagined or dreamed for."

Although they had been fooling around, when she said that he was truly touched. She knew how to make him feel so amazing. An almost surprised gasp passed his lips. He wished he could make this moment last forever, the way she was looking at him, and the way she held on to him was just perfect. Their faces were just inches apart and they were completely lost in each other's eyes. "Chelle…"

Michelle kissed him, she had too. She pressed her lips against his hard and bought her hands up to cup his face. He moaned into her mouth and pulled her body in as close as possible to his. At the same time they both began to lie down, they landed with Tony on his back and Michelle lying on his stomach – they never let the kiss break.

Tony's mind was racing, he was ready to ask her. A wave of sickness flooded over him and he panicked about her saying no. The more uptight and nervous he got, the harder he kissed her. Needing to take control, he flipped them over so that he was now lying on top of her. He could see a little look of surprise on her face. "Sorry, I just…"

Michelle stopped him. "No, I loved it."

Tony grinned. "Really?"

Michelle gave him one of her cheeky smiles. "It was quite a turn on."

Tony nodded proudly to himself before deciding to kiss her one more time before he asked. He wanted them to stand up simply so that he could get down on one knee for her.

Finally he pulled back. "Hey will you come over to the water with me?"

"Now?"

"Yup, come on…" He lifted himself off her and then helped her stand up. They walked the few meters over to the water edge. Tony looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Are you ok Tony?"

Tony took her hand and put the box in the other still in his pocket. "Actually I don't think I've ever felt more nervous in my entire life."

Michelle was so confused. "Nervous of what honey?"

Tony took a huge breath, kept holding her hand and then got down on one knee. His eyes never left hers and he watched them light up like he had never seen before. "Oh my God Tony….what are you doing?" It just flew out of Michelle's mouth before she realised she had said it out loud.

"I'm asking you to spend the rest of your life with me." He almost had to laugh at how quivery his voice sounded. Tears started streaming down Michelle's cheeks immediately and she looked at him stunned. Tony pulled the box from his pocket, opened it up and held it out to her.

Michelle squealed and Tony laughed. "Chelle, I didn't know what true love or happiness was until I was with you. I'm a better person because of you and for the first time in my life I feel complete. Since I met you, I haven't been able to look sideways and now I know how much I need you by my side forever. I want to share my life with you and I want to have a family with you." Tears made their way down his face. "Marry me Michelle. I promise I'll spend everyday for the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me."

Tony was sure his heart had stopped while he waited for her to answer. He watched as her face glowed like he had never seen before and she nodded her head, but he needed to hear her actually say yes before he could breathe again. "I love you Chelle, I need you."

Michelle was trying to find her voice, she was completely shocked and so excited she had no idea how to contain herself. She threw herself at Tony, he caught her but they almost fell over. "Yes…..yes, yes….oh my God Tony….yes!"

Tony pulled his head back so he could look into her eyes. "Really? You'll be my wife?"

"I love you so much. There is nothing I want more in the world than to marry you Tony." She kissed him passionately pushing her tongue into his mouth, they were both kneeling on the ground still and they pressed their bodies into one another's as close as possible.

Unwilling to pull back from him yet, Michelle moved her lips to his neck so she could speak at the same time. "I had no idea, this is the biggest surprise of my life – the best surprise. Wow Tony…"

"Thank you, thank you for saying yes. Can I put the ring on your finger?"

Michelle kept her right arm around his neck and her body pressed into his but brought her left hand down in between them. "Yes, you have to."  
Tony held her hand and kissed her wedding finger. "Baby your hand is shaking…"

Michelle looked him in the eyes, a fresh batch of tears made their way down her face. "I know…I'm just so excited. This is the happiest moment of my life Tony."

"Awe Chelle, me too…..me too beautiful." He slowly slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Oh Tony, it's gorgeous. Look at it, it's perfect." She kissed the ring and then Tony on the lips. "I love it so much. Thank you….did you pick it yourself?"

"Dad came with me, I've been looking in LA but nothing was right, I knew as soon as I saw this one here it was the one."

Michelle rubbed her hand up and down his stomach and chest. "So your parents know? What do they think?"

"Well they know I was going to ask – actually they are all at home setting up a celebration for us. I was so panicked I'd have to phone them and tell them to cancel it."

Michelle kissed him on his cheek. "As if I could have ever said no to you…"

"Well I didn't want to presume anything."

They began to kiss again passionately. They got so wrapped up in each other they lost their balance and fell over. After laughing for a few moments Tony suggested they move back to the blanket.

"Ok, but should we be getting back? Are they all just waiting for us?"

Tony lay Michelle down on her back on the blanket and then lowered himself on top of her. "We should get back, I just need to keep you to myself for another couple minutes before I have to share you with everyone else."

They both started running their hands all over each other. Michelle nudged his head to the side so she could kiss his neck. Tony moaned, he felt so good. "I wish I could make love to you."

Michelle pushed her lower body into his. "I wish we could be together too."

This kissed for a little while longer until they decided they really should get back. They made their way to the street and then caught a taxi back to his parent's house. Tony kept his arm around her shoulders as they made their way in the door and presented themselves in front of the family waiting in the living room. Everyone stood staring at them for a moment, Tony held up Michelle's hand. "She said yes!" Instantly they were pounced on for hugs and kisses.

David poured everyone some champagne and made a toast welcoming Michelle to the family. Tony held her the entire time. Michelle was the happiest she had ever been. Everything she had ever wanted was coming true. Not only was she going to marry the love of her life but at the same time she got a family as well. She loved how Tony stuck with her the entire time, he just had to be close to her.

It was almost 3am before everyone was ready to head to bed. Both Michelle and Tony were drunk by this point and they helped each other down the hall to their bedroom. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Tony flicked off the light and led her straight to the bed. He pushed her down onto her back and crawled on top of her.


	26. Chapter 26

Tony's eyes slowly opened, before he had even been able to focus on anything a headache set in. He groaned and tried to roll his body onto his side so he could see Michelle, as soon as he moved he realized just how queasy he felt all over. He smiled when he saw her flat on her back in one of his t-shirts. He looked at the ring on her finger and tingles shot all throughout his body. As hung over as he was, he felt like today was the first day of the rest of his life. Michelle had said yes and he thought he was the luckiest guy in the world. He started thinking about last night and how amazing she had been. They had made love for hours with the most intense passion and had only fallen asleep a short while ago. Tony could have continued fooling around for a lot longer but it had been nearing 7am and he could tell how tired Michelle was so he had peeled himself off her and told her to get some sleep.

Tony snapped out of it when he saw her eyes begin to open. Michelle reached out for Tony straight away. She grabbed him and pulled herself into his body so that they were both on their sides and their faces were only inches apart. They watched each other and smiled.

Michelle leaned in and kissed his lips gently. "Good morning handsome."

"Hey beautiful. How do you feel?"

Michelle ran her hands across his stomach. "So happy…like shit…but so happy."

Tony laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "Me too."

"What time is it?"

He looked at his watch and sighed. "Oh God it's 10am, we've only been asleep for like 3 hrs. Why don't you get some more sleep Chelle?"

"Nah I can't, I'm too excited to sleep anymore."

Tony wrapped his arm around her body pulling her in closer and then reached over and began kissing her neck. Michelle responded quickly by pulling his body so that he would lift himself on top of her, as he did he kept kissing her neck and also her shoulder. Finally he made his way up to her mouth. They kissed tenderly for a few minutes before Tony supported himself up by his elbows and traced her cheek with his right hand. "Do you realize how good it feels knowing I'll get to wake up next to you forever?"

"The thought of waking up next to you every morning Tony makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive."

Tony kissed her again. "So do I get to take my fiancé out for breakfast?"

Michelle smiled widely hearing him call her that. "You sure do."

Tony and Michelle slowly got up and had a shower, which made them both feel a tiny bit better. They made their way down the hallway to the kitchen to find everyone having coffee.

David looked at his watch and then them. "I've got to say I'm a little surprised to see you both up and dressed so early."

Tony put his arm around Michelle's shoulder. "Well I am going to take my fiancé out for breakfast!" He looked straight over at Michelle to see if his words made her smile again, which they did.

David chuckled a little. "That sounds great. How do you both feel?"

Michelle let out a small moan. "I've been better. Thank you for such a great night, it was amazing. The dinner…the party, thank you!"

David rubbed Tony's shoulder. "Our pleasure, it's not everyday our son gets engaged…." He looked at Michelle, "and to such a special woman."

Tony laughed and Michelle blushed a little. Karen offered them both some tablets for their headaches with some ice water. They gratefully accepted before saying goodbye to everyone and heading out the door.

Once settled at a diner just down the road, Michelle took Tony's hand across the table. "So…when do you want to get married? How long do you want to be engaged for?"

"I want you as my wife as soon as possible. I guess just as long as we think we will need to organize the wedding."

Michelle still couldn't believe this was happening, it almost felt too good to be true. She didn't realize she had just been sitting there smiling until Tony squeezed her hand. "What kind of wedding Chelle?"

Michelle all of a sudden felt overcome with emotion. "I don't know, anything with you…"

Tony could see Michelle's becoming watery, he knew she wasn't upset because she was still smiling and her eyes were glowing. He got out of his seat and slid into the booth next to Michelle so he could put his arm around her. He kissed a couple of her tears. "You getting all emotional on me sweetheart?"

He chuckled when Michelle nodded her head. "I just can't help it. It's just…you…and me…. we are going to be married! Married Tony! I never imagined I could end up with someone that makes me half as happy as you do. I didn't think I could ever end up with someone that wants to treat me so well, with someone that is such a good person…. that is my ultimate sexual fantasy."

Tony sat shocked, he hadn't expected her to say anything like that. They were both quiet as Michelle continued to try and wipe her eyes and pull herself together and Tony still hadn't stirred, he was experiencing feelings and emotions that he hadn't felt before. Finally he began rubbing her back with his hand and leaned in so hopefully she would be the only one that heard. "I can't get my head around what you said. Half of me is so touched, what an incredible thing to say…"

Michelle cut him off. "Half of you?"

"Yeah, it's how you worded things that worries me…" He looked at Michelle who was trying to give him a look like 'so, it's not a big deal' but he could see straight past that to her low self esteem.

"All I was saying was nice things to you, just being honest about how I feel."

His hand on her back moved up and began stroking her hair. "I know and I love that. It's how you cut yourself down in the process that is the problem. I mean why would you think that you couldn't ever end up with someone that treats you well?"

Michelle wasn't really quite sure how to respond to him. When she heard him say it out loud like that, she could understand how it sounded bad but it truly was how she felt. Self confidence was something she had struggled with since her mother had left and had really only gotten worse as she got older, it had all but been stripped from her in her abusive relationship with Mark. She wished Tony would just move past what she had said, or at least look at it in the way she meant to say it – all she was doing was complimenting him.

Michelle's eyes had been studying the table and she hadn't answered him. He felt bad that he had upset her, after all she had really just said one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to him. It hurt him so much though that she didn't look at herself in the way she deserved. He knew she hadn't answered him simply because she didn't know how to and that worried him more. He decided to try and lighten up the mood a little bit, back track basically to let her know how much he appreciated what she had said. He brushed the hair away from her neck and kissed her just below her ear before he spoke. "Your ultimate sexual fantasy huh? Are you basing that on last night?" He kissed her again. "Because that was amazing."

Michelle exhaled a breath of air with a small smile. She nodded her head, "not just last night, every time with you." She felt so confused as to what was going on.

"I wish you knew how much it means to me to hear you say that Chelle."

"Why? I mean surely by now you've realized how attracted to you I am." Michelle was a little surprised at how defensive she was. She could see his eyes drop and disappointment cross his face.

His voice was so gentle and shaky. "Because Chelle…. you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. Before we even got together I spent like a year lusting after you, wondering what it would be like to touch you, be with you. I mean you turn me on just by looking at me. I always think about how I want to be able to make you feel as good as you make me feel. So to hear you say I'm your sexual fantasy is one of the most incredible feelings in the world."

Michelle turned her head a little so she could see his eyes. Even though what he had said sent butterflies through her stomach she still felt confused and upset with him for saying what he had and now trying to act as though nothing happened. "So is that the half you liked of what I said? It's ok if it is about sex but you won't take the other things I said on board just because I didn't word them as well?"

Tony was shocked. "No, it's not like that. I mean yes, I did love that you made the fantasy comment…it's just it was basically the only thing you said that didn't take a snipe at you at the same time. Everything else you said implied in some way, that you didn't think you were deserving of being treated well or happy."

"It doesn't mean I meant what I said any less."

"Michelle you are missing the point. What you said to me was beautiful, all of it. I just wish you could have say worded it, 'you treat me so well' – instead you said 'I didn't think I could ever end up with someone who wants to treat me so well'. Can't you see how much you are putting yourself down?"

"I'm sorry, I was just being honest. I never thought I would find someone that treats me the way that you do though or that I could be this happy."

Tony sighed. They were interrupted by the waitress bringing over their breakfast. To make room Tony had to move back to his seat so he was now sitting directly across from her. Once the waitress was gone Tony stroked Michelle's hand. "Chelle…." He waited until she raised her head and looked at him. "Tell me Chelle…. do you think you deserve to be treated well?"

Michelle fidgeted and played with her food for a moment. "Tony…. I don't know. I want to be treated well, I like being treated well but I guess I've just never really expected it. You are so different from anyone else I have been with, no one has treated me the way that you do."

"Well they were wrong Chelle. The reason you lack self-confidence is because of the way Mark treated you, but you have to see how wrong you are to think that way…"

Michelle sat back in her chair. "Sometimes things are not always great between people, there aren't many perfect relationships out there. It's not just everyone else's fault, I have to take some of the blame as well."

"With who? What do you need to take the blame for?"

"For whatever ever it was I did wrong. For saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing…. I don't know but there must have been a million things I didn't do right - I know I gave Mark plenty of reasons to do what he did. He said he cared about me, loved me…. he wouldn't have done those things had I not done something to provoke him."

Tony felt sick. "Oh my God Chelle…"

The look on Tony's face made Michelle want to fall apart. She felt like she needed to get out of there, she couldn't handle feeling this way in such a public place.

Tony stopped and started so many times over, he was scared to death of saying the wrong thing. He knew he had already pushed her further than anyone had before on this subject and how much his reaction and words so far had hurt her. He felt like he was going to explode, the anger he felt towards Mark was uncontrollable.

Michelle's voice stopped him cursing under his breath. "You look so angry…"

"It's that son of a bitch, it's him. You didn't do anything…"

Michelle didn't let him finish. She leant in toward him and looked him straight in the eyes. "Ok Tony, you tell me then – why did he…why…"

"Hit you Michelle?"

"Yes…"

Tony's mouth was getting away from him. "Have you noticed that you can never say it? Say it Michelle, say what he did to you."

Tony was right, she had trouble saying the word out loud. "Fine…why did he…hit me then?"

"Not for anything you did wrong. It was him…"

"No, you know that's not true. Someone doesn't just do that for no reason at all. If he cared for me and I did absolutely nothing wrong, why would he do that? If it was just him then wouldn't he have done it to other people? Obviously there was something about me."

They sat staring at each other for a moment as Michelle caught her breath and Tony racked his brain trying to figure out how to answer her. He now understood so clearly why victims of abuse often think it is their fault, when you thought about it the way Michelle had just said it that was exactly how it came across. Tears began to run down her cheeks, instinctively he reached out to wipe them but she stood up. "I have to get out of here."

Tony grabbed her hand, "no Chelle, don't go."

Michelle bit her lower lip in an effort to stop herself from bursting into tears. She slid out of the booth and made her way out of the diner. She could hear Tony following her. Once they were outside he grabbed her arm. "Chelle please."

"I want to be alone."

"I don't want you to be alone. Lets go somewhere where we can talk?"

He went to put his arm around her shoulders but she pulled away from him. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Why did you even bring all this up anyway?"

"I'm not going to just ignore it Chelle. It kills me knowing how you feel. We have to deal with this – you have to learn how to talk about it, open up and not run away from it."

"We just talked and we have talked about it before a couple times now. There is no point, you just end up getting pissed off. I can't believe all this just from me telling you how much you mean to me."

Tony saw someone approaching them from the side, he turned to see it was the waitress from inside. She asked them if they intended on coming back in or not because they had not paid the bill. Tony told the lady he would come inside in a minute to pay.

Michelle had taken some steps back and turned around to hide her tear stained face from the waitress. Tony walked back over so that he was in front of her again. She got in before him. "I need to go, I'll just meet you back at the house later."

"Don't run from this Chelle, it's always going to be there if you do. I'm sorry I am angry, I can't help it – it just hurts so much, especially when I hear you blame yourself."

"Don't you get it Tony? There is nothing that can change what has already happened. I just have to get on with it – which means accepting it, which I've done. No one else even knows about what happened with Mark, I don't let it affect my life."

"Of course it affects your life, a hell of a lot more than you realize. You have just hidden it from everyone. The only thing you have done is accept blame for the entire thing, which is so completely wrong." Tony knew he was being harsh, but he just didn't know how else to say exactly what she needed to hear.

Michelle stood still for a moment letting his words sink in. Somewhere deep down she knew he was probably right but she wasn't ready to hear it yet. She felt like she was disappointing him, but she really wasn't sure exactly what it was he wanted to hear. She told him she was going for a walk and that she would see him back at the house. Tony tried repeatedly to have her stay with him but she was insistent she needed some time out. Eventually he had to let her go, there wasn't anything else he could do. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched her turn and walk away in tears. He regretted being rough on her, the last thing he had ever wanted was for her to push him away.

Tony watched her until she was out of sight before paying the bill and then heading home.


	27. Chapter 27

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Tony had been sitting on the swing chair out the front of his parent's house for over an hour. His Dad had come out and asked if he was ok and where Michelle was but he told him that he just needed some time to think. It was obvious to David that Tony and Michelle had an argument or something but he knew Tony would come to him if he wanted to talk and so he gave him the space he needed.

Tony felt sick inside, he couldn't stand that Michelle was out wondering by herself so upset because of him. He had to force himself repeatedly not to go looking for her, the only thing stopping him was knowing that he had no idea of where to even begin trying to find her. So he'd wait there for her, he'd wait all night if he needed to.

Tony caught sight of Michelle as soon as she turned into the house, she stopped suddenly as soon as she saw Tony. They both looked at each other across the court yard as Tony stood up and made his way to her. He stopped just a couple feet in front of her and held his hand out but Michelle didn't take it. He took another step forward. "Chelle…please…"

Tony could tell Michelle had been crying hard. Her face was tear stained and her eyes were swollen. She wouldn't move nor would she look him in the eye. He wondered what his next move should be, she always knew how to comfort him and say the right thing and he cursed himself for not being able to do the same thing back for her. Just then Emily and Jeff rounded the driveway and ended up standing right next to them.

Emily looked up at Michelle. "Are you crying? Why are you crying?"

Michelle forced a smile. "I'm sorry, I'm ok."

"If you were ok, you wouldn't be crying."

Tony stepped forward. "Do you guys mind if we just have a minute?"

Jeff nodded his head and put his hand on Emily's shoulder to lead her inside but before they had even taken a few steps Michelle spoke up. "No, it's ok – I'm going to walk."

Tony kept his voice gentle but firm. "You just walked Michelle. You just walked for the last hour. Stay here and talk."

Emily stepped away from her dad and threw her arms around Michelle hugging her tightly. "You make me talk things out Michelle, you know how much it helps."

Michelle immediately jumped to conclusions – she looked up at Tony. "You told everyone?"

"No…but she is right…"

"Why? Just because you think it's so easy to have everything out in the open then I should be like that too?"

Jeff wasn't sure what to do, Emily was still standing next to Michelle and now his parents had heard the racket and stepped outside to see what was going on.

Tony found himself raising his voice even more to match Michelle's. "No…yes…I just…I want you to face all this, face all this with me. I don't want you to be ashamed or afraid of other people knowing what someone else did to you…"

Michelle looked around to see the shocked looks on everyone's faces. She could only imagine what they must be thinking. She felt so frustrated. It felt like they were all staring at her, wondering what had happened to her. She glared at Tony and gestured her hands towards everyone else. "Is this what you want? You want everyone to know?" She turned to face Jeff and the words rolled off her tongue before she could catch them. "My ex-boyfriend use to hit me and Tony hates that I don't want to talk about it." She threw her hand over her mouth to stop herself, she stood deathly still absolutely horrified at what she had just said.

Michelle's name seemed to fall out of everyone's mouths in a deep sigh. Tony stepped in closer to her, all he wanted to do was hold her. "No Michelle, that's not it…"

"What the hell do you want from me then Tony?"

"I want you to stop blaming yourself!"

Michelle couldn't hold it in any longer. She knew she was never going to be able to keep this up with Tony. She fought back tears. "You know what! I tried your way, I tried to blame him. I blamed him so much I tried to press charges….but…but it didn't work because he convinced the police he had done nothing wrong…"

With tears streaming down her face, Michelle choked on her words. "And if I feel like this, there has to be someone to blame and if it can't be him…"

Tony stopped Michelle by pulling her into his arms and pressing her against his chest. He kissed her head and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…come here."

He looked over her shoulder to Jeff and his parents, they looked as lost as he felt. They made their way inside and Tony could feel goose bumps on Michelle's arms and he decided that he should take her in to. Without saying anything he slowly began to lead her inside and straight down to their bedroom. Michelle kept her head down the entire way. Once they were in the room, Tony sat her on the bed and then knelt down in front of her.

"Chelle, look at me…"

She raised her eyes to meet his as he closed his hands around hers. "I didn't know Chelle. I can understand all of this so much more now. I'm so sorry."

Michelle didn't say anything, but for the first time she let herself feel the pain without trying to block it and allowed herself to cry without trying to force back the tears. She reached for Tony, throwing her arms around him but that didn't feel close enough and so she lifted her body off the bed and into his arms. They were both crouched on the ground wrapped up in each other, Tony was holding her as tightly as he could.

"Why didn't you tell me baby?"

"I don't know. Tony you have to understand I have never spoken to anyone about this. Do you know how hard it was for me to go to the police in the first place? But then to watch him manipulate them as well? I've never been able to breathe a word about it to anyone since."

Tony kissed her forehead and then her cheek as he whispered to her. "I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you. I'm so sorry sweetheart."

Tony felt relief inside the Michelle had not only opened up to him but was also finally allowing herself to deal with this. He would do anything to take away her pain, to make this easier for her somehow. He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry I pushed you, I'm sorry for how I've made you feel today…"

"I made such a fool of myself in front of your entire family, who knows what they think of me now…and you, I see how much I frustrate you Tony."

He cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Baby, don't even think that for a second. My family, which is now your family by the way, loves you to bits…just like I do. I'm frustrated by what happened to you, I'd do anything to make this better for you somehow."

Michelle buried her head in his shoulder. Tony could feel her body shaking and he knew this was the most vulnerable he had ever seen Michelle. He pulled her up, had her lay on the bed and then pulled the covers up over her. He lay next to her wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her in close. Once he had her settled he spoke gently into her ear. "Chelle, it doesn't matter what he told the police and what they did about it, what matters is you understanding that none of this was your fault. You need to blame him, you need to realize how truly amazing you are for getting through this. Do you know what I am saying?"

Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess." She had worn herself out emotionally and she could feel her brain beginning to shut off as her eyes closed begging for sleep. The day had left her so physically drained her body demanded some rest. With Tony so close she felt safe and comforted enough to drift into a heavy sleep.

Tony held her and stroked her hair for a long time after she had fallen asleep. He wasn't surprised she had just passed out like that, actually he was glad she did because she would feel so much better if she had some sleep. An hour later he decided he would head out into the living room. He gently slid out of the bed, tucked the covers around Michelle and kissed her forehead before quietly making his way out of the room.

David was looked up from his chair and spotted Tony first. He jumped to his feet. "Is Michelle ok?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. She is asleep now. I just wish I knew what the hell to do!"

"All you can do Tony is be there for her. Comfort her and support her."

Tony's fists clenched. "I hate him, I fucking hate him. I wish I could have 5 minutes with the bastard."

David was shocked for a moment by Tony's outburst, but he also completely understood it. If anyone ever touched his wife he'd feel the same way. "You have to forget about him Tony and concentrate on Michelle."

"What am I suppose to do dad? I mean, I don't even know what I really expect her to do…"

"What do you think needs to happen now Tony?"

Tony sunk into the couch. "I just want Chelle to truly believe that none of what happened is her fault. I want her to feel completely safe and secure with me…"

David interrupted. "You don't think she does?"

"How could she if she believes she deserved it?"

Before David had the chance to respond Emily and Jeff walked into the room. Tony excused himself quickly opting to go for a walk to try and clear his head. He walked hard for an hour straight. For the first half an hour he fumed over Mark, he couldn't understand what kind of animal could hurt his Michelle. As he forced himself to accept what had happened to her he started to focus on how he could ever fix this wrong in her life. All that mattered was that she truly knew she would always be safe with him, that he would protect her from now on. He wanted her self confidence to grow and he wanted her to know she deserved to be treated like a princess.

When he got back to the house he went straight to their room to check on Michelle who was just beginning to stir. He lay next to her on the bed and began to stroke her hair. "Hey sweetheart."

Michelle opened her eyes and looked at Tony. "What time is it? Did I sleep for long?"

"Its only been a couple of hours. How do you feel?"

Michelle took his hand. "I'm ok…you?"

"I went for a walk and did some thinking Chelle."

Michelle nodded her head and looked at him attentively.

"Chelle I have been really hard on you with all this…"

"Tony it's ok, I know it is because you care and I can understand why you must get frustrated with me about it all."

"I'm having a lot of trouble accepting what this guy did to you. It kills me thinking about what you have been through."

Michelle stroked Tony's cheek. "It's ok sweetie, I'm ok now…"

"No, it's not ok. You know I'd never hurt you, don't you?"

Michelle smiled. "Tony, how could you even ask that?"

"It's just if you don't blame him and you think you are at fault somehow then how can you feel safe? I mean if you think you did something to deserve it then how can you be sure you won't be in that situation again?"

Michelle rolled her head back on the pillow and spent a few moments soaking in what Tony had said. "I don't know Tony. I just know that when I am with you I feel completely safe. I trust you with my life. I'm not going to pretend like it doesn't still upset me sometimes or leave me feeling like crap but since being with you I have started to realize it's not something I have to worry about happening again."

Tony leaned over Michelle slightly and cupped her cheek with his hand. She kissed his fingers before putting her hand on the back of his neck. "Besides….I know if any guy tried to touch me again then my boyfriend would kick his ass!"

Tony laughed. "Boyfriend! Don't you mean fiancé?"

Michelle pulled his head down so she could kiss him on the lips. "God I love hearing you say that word."


End file.
